People of Ogua asked to promote education
Dr Irina Bokova, Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has asked the people of Cape Coast to address the fallen standards of education because the area is considered the citadel of education in the country.
She said she visited Cape Coast to promote education and to ‘pay respect’ to victims of slave trade.
Dr Bokova made the appeal when she interacted with Professor Domwine Dapre Kwupolo, Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Central Regional Minister, Mr. Samuel Sarpong and Osaberima Kwesi Atta II, Omanhene of Ogua, to find solutions to problems affecting education in the Central Region, on Tuesday in Cape Coast.
She said UNESCO would work hard to reconcile modernity with history adding that science and technology was significant to development.
Dr Bokova asked students to study science subjects and said plans were underway to put up a training school at UCC to serve as a laboratory for teachers and students.
She said UNESCO would focus more on challenges facing higher education in Africa and UCC would be among the pilot universities to be used to promote education.
Dr Bokova stated that Ghana has ensured political stability, achieved Millennium Development Goals and expressed hope in the next two years the country would achieve gender parity and eradicate poverty.
Prof Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang, Minister for Education, said that UNESCO would support Africa to advance education.
She noted that the UCC was promoting education, particularly in the humanities, communication skills and administration.
Prof Kwupolo said the University was being challenged to lead Africa in post-graduate education, adding that UNESCO had supported UCC to promote the study of science related programmes.
Mr. Sarpong noted that Cape Coast was a tourist attraction with many educational institutions, and advised the youth to take education seriously instead of abandoning the classroom for fishing.
Osaberima Kwesi Atta also appealed to the youth to go to school and acquire knowledge and training needed for development.
The Education Minister supported Dr Bokova to present two bottles of Schnapps and undisclosed items to the chiefs and elders of Cape Coast.
Dr Bokova, accompanied by Madam Genevieve Delali Tsegah, Ghana’s Ambassador to France, the Minister for Education and other government and UNESCO officials, visited the Elmina Castle to ascertain empirical evidence and history of slave trade.
Source: GNA