Tema, July 29, GNA - The Tema Technical Institute=91s Naval Cadet Corps has been inaugurated with a call on the school's authorities to inculcate in the students discipline, the spirit of unity an= d nationalism.

Nii Armah Ashietey, Greater-Accra Regional Minister, who made the cal= l on Thursday urged parents to cooperate with the teachers as partners in educating the children and ensuring their moral upbringing. Nii Ashietey urged parents to devote their time, money and other resources to provide children with quality education. "We should instil in our children confidence and good moral values to make them understand the essence of education," he said.

The Regional Minister urged the Cadets to reach out to their peers and assist them to cultivate development-oriented values. This, in his view, would help build strong communities, the foundation of a healthy and stable society. Mr George Nii Torgbor Provencal, Principal of the Institute, recounte= d that the idea to form a Cadet Corps was mooted a few years ago, but the major constraint had always been the purchase of uniforms and the necessary accoutrements. Mr Provencal expressed the school's appreciation to the Eastern Nav= al Command, Tema, for their immense contribution and support for the Cadet Corps. Recounting the historical background of the Institute, the Principal said it was established in 1964 as a Textile Training Centre, through a bilateral agreement entered by the Government of Ghana with her Japanese counterpart to train middle level manpower for the Textile Industry. Mr Provencal said in 1974 two additional courses, Tailoring and Photography, were introduced, thus necessitating the change of the school= 's name from Tema Textile Training Centre to Tema Technical Institute. Currently, he said, the Institute runs 13 programmes, four of which are post senior high school level ones, with the remaining being post basic or junior high school level programmes.

Osongaa Nii Adjei Kraku II, Tema Mantse, who chaired the function, appealed to parents to encourage their wards, to join cadet corps in their various schools to help shape their lives for the future. Mr Emmanuel Adzei Anang, a Member of the Council of State, was one of the dignitaries who attended the ceremony.