Accra, May 30, GNA - Students from Senior High Schools in Ghana now have the opportunity to move to another school for a period of one month and return to their schools with new experiences.

For instance students from Aggrey Memorial Zion High School in Cape Coast have the opportunity to spend one month at Labone Senior High School in Accra, where they would share the same dormitory, have classes, dining, entertainment and join other school curricula with their colleagues in the Accra school.

The programme dubbed: "Ghana National Exchange Programme School," for Senior High Schools, is aimed at promoting cultural diversity, intellectual discussions among students and help students to gain new experiences outside their permanent schools. The programme is part of activities by the Ghana Country Award Council, a non-governmental organization committed to youth development and empowerment.

Mr. Kobla Asamani, Country Director of the Ghana Country Award Council, explained at the launch of the programme on Friday that about 500 students from six regions in the country are involved in the programme and would be taken through programmes, including seminars on HIV/AIDS, economics, development, physical education, ICT. They would take classes in the schools they would be sent to for a period of one month and come back to share their experiences with colleagues in their school.

Some of the schools involved in the programme include, Ghana National College, Sekondi College, Takoradi Senior High School, Mawuko Girls High School, St Monica's High School, Keta Senior High school and Mfanstipim Senior High School. Mr Asamani advised the students to take advantage of the programme to improve themselves.

Major Courage Quashigah (Rtd), Minister of Health, who is also the Vice Patron of the Country Award Council, pointed out that the youth were important in the development process of the country and such programmes helped in developing the human capital. He said people were suffering from ignorance instead of making use of knowledge gained from schools and from their environment. Major Quashigah advised the students to learn the culture of the new environment they would be going to and fully participate in all programmes organized for them. "Put all vices aside and learn to adopt good moral behaviours," he said.

Mrs. Dorothy Glover who represented the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service pledged the organization's support for the programme. She said the programme was an opportunity to expose the youth to things outside the classroom.

Mrs Glover noted that most people thought of exchange programmes as travelling abroad to participate in a school's programme and lauded the initiative as one that would help the youth know their own country Ms Doris Kourwnu, Director, Corporate Affairs at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, who chaired the programme also pledged GBC's support for the programme and urged to students to ensure that they behaved in a disciplined manner and worked hard to enable them to achieve what they wanted in life.