(Republic Day celebration

HUNDREDS of holiday makers stormed the Labadi Beach in Accra on July 1, 2009, to celebrate Ghana’s 49th Republic Day anniversary. Most of them were, however,ignorant of the rationale behind Republic Day celebrations.
As they enjoyed the warmth of the sand at the beach and made merry, they did not have a faint idea about the essence of the occasion whose declaration as statutory public holiday presented them the platform for their relaxation.
“I know today is a holiday but I have not taken the pain to ask anyone about what the day is about because I know that holidays are meant for us to relax at home or go to the beach’’, one gentleman, who felt so ashamed to mention his name, said.
He said he felt embarrassed that he had not been able to educate his children about the essence of the Republic Day.
Another man who was spotted with his children said, “I was told by my friends that July 1, was the day that Kwame Nkrumah was shot. I did not dispute that fact because my friends read a lot and are always abreast with information”.
Lucy Adjei, a nine-year-old schoolgirl, said her class teacher announced the holiday to them in class but did not explain why it was declared a public holiday.
With a confused look on her face, Lucy’s friend, Juliet, an 11-year-old girl, was quick to respond, “No”, when she was asked to explain what the holiday meant.
One issue which was of great concern to most parents was the need for teachers and school heads to educate pupils about the essential historical event.
“Because we did not get the opportunity to go to school, we make it a responsibility by giving our children quality education. It is therefore, pathetic when our children do not know the story behind this celebration”, Mrs Ann Arku Doku, a parent said.
Some parents were of the view that History, as a subject should be taught at the basic education level and not only at the senior high school and tertiary levels.
They, therefore, called on the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to adopt measures to ensure that History was taught right from the primary to the tertiary level.
Three years after becoming the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence on March 6, 1957, Ghana became a republic on July 1, 1960, earning it total independence from British dominion.
Before the attainment of a republican status, although Ghana had gained political independence, the Queen of Britain was still the ceremonial head of the nation.