The Progressive People’s Party (PPP) has said, the alternative education policy of “No Child Left Behind” which promises to make education Free, Continuous and Compulsory from Kindergarten to Senior High level, will go a long way to prevent poverty, when majority of the Ghanaian population attain at least high school education and become employable in the next decade.

The party maintains that, the no child left behind policy adequately addresses the nation’s current basic human resource needs and is completely different from the NDC’s “Expanded Access” and the NPP’s “Free Senior High School” policy proposals. The difference among the three policy options were made known at the 30th Graduation Ceremony of the Dzorwulu Junior High School in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constutiency last Friday, under the theme “Quality Education, the Best Tool for Bridging the Gap Between, the Rich and the Poor”.

Speaking on the theme at the ceremony, the special guest of honour, William Dowokpor, who is also the PPP’s Parliamentary Candidate for Ayawaso West Wuogon, described the current educational system, which allows Junior High School to be the first exit point on the educational ladder for Ghanaian children, as a tragedy.

He said children must by all means, be kept in the educational system be it, senior high or vocational training until they attained age 18, a scenario which is only possible with a policy that comes at no cost to parents but with a compulsion component that will be enforced by monitoring officials known as “education police” to ensure compliance.

William Dowokpor advised the 2012 graduating class of 134 students to resolve to move up higher the educational ladder at all costs, as there is little they can do with the BECE Certificate in the world of work, promising that they will be beneficiaries of the PPP policy when the party forms the next government in January 2013.

The Commercial Director of PZ Cussons Ghana limited, Kwame Wiafe, in an address to students admonished them against negative peer pressure and popular myths in Ghanaian society which supports the “get rich quick” mindset but makes the desire to attain higher education unattractive to young people.

Using himself as an example for the students, Kwame Wife said, he could not have risen to the position of Commercial Director, if he did not pursue higher education, insisting that it is only education that can bridge the gap between the rich and the poor.

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