Teachers attend child protection workshop
Thirty-three basic school teachers in the Bolgatanga Municipality have attended child protection and conflict resolution workshop in Bolgatanga.
The programme, which was organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), with sponsorship from UNICEF, was to equip the teachers, who are child protection patrons, with child protection skills to enable them to protect the rights of children.
The event was also organised for teachers in 18 schools in Bawku to equip the teachers with conflict resolution skills so that they could inculcate and nurture the children on the need to co-exist peacefully.
The Regional Director of NCCE, Mr Pontius Pilates Apaabey Baba, said the programme was crucial because children were the most vulnerable when it came to conflicts.
He expressed optimism that the training and knowledge acquired would make a significant impact on protection and development of the children.
He said; “Plans are also far advanced to sensitize more in-school and out-of-school youth on the need to co-exist peacefully and the protection of children who are the most vulnerable during conflict situation”.
Mr Apaabey urged the teachers to be good mentors and nurture and build good democratic cultures and values among the youth to empower them to become responsible future leaders.
He said the Commission would soon develop a manual on Child Protection Rights and distribute them to teachers in the various schools to teach the children on their rights and how to defend them.
Mr Paul Apanga, Regional Director of Education, lauded the NCCE and UNICEF for the programme and said peace was very important as it brought about business and economic growth.
He reiterated that the skills acquired by the teachers would be instilled in the school children.
The teachers identified inadequate logistics such as teaching and learning materials, unfair punishment, stealing, name calling and teasing, sexual relationships, and hunger as some sources of conflicts in the schools.
They resolved to do effective grouping to resolve the problem by orientating school children about duties and regulations of the schools and provide moral education, guidance and counseling among other things.
Source: GNA