Ghana Girl Guides Association is 90 years old
Ms. Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST), on Saturday said women can be agents of change because their very lives are inextricably connected to all the spheres of society where positive change is needed.
According to her, women would have to be made active in the decision-making processes, improve their access to natural resources and increase their enrolment and retention in school for them to reach higher levels of education.
Speaking at the 90th anniversary celebration of the Ghana Guides Association in Accra, she affirmed that women are not victims and that given the needed education and empowerment; they can become agents of change.
It was on the theme, “Together Women can change the world”
She said it was for that reason that the Government was committed to Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) and the capitation grant to increase school enrolment, free bus boarding and bicycles and a start up cash to for women to expand their businesses and keep their children especially, girls in school.
According to her, women constituent over half of the world’s population and should be given equal opportunity as men.
She, however, regretted the decline in interest of the sciences and mathematics and noted that it had taken a toll on the science and technology resource of the country.
To boost the interest in the sciences, MEST, she said, had awarded scholarship packages to about 5000 brilliant and needy students.
Though she bemoaned the current turn down of morality, associations such as the Girl Guides has effectively propagated moral values to enhance human dignity, love and humility in some of the nation’s young females which was worthy of emulation.
She noted that her ministry would provide the association’s headquarters with 20 computers to enable them improve on their ICT skills and commended the Association for being a role models through mentorship.
Guiding in Ghana was launched in Accra in 1921 and spread to towns and villages all over the country during the next 20 years. In 1930 the Association’s headquarters were built in Accra.
Source: GNA