Wa, March 6, GNA 96Thirty-nine schools, including two special schools= , in the Wa Municipality of the Upper West region, participated in a parade t= o mark the 54th anniversary celebration of Ghana's Independence, at Wa, on Sunday. The two special schools are the Wa Methodist School for the Blind and the Wa School for the Deaf and the mentally challenged.

One unusual thing about the celebration this year was that, teachers i= n the public schools were not present to lead their schools in the march-pass= , as had always been the case in the previous celebrations, to register their dissatisfaction with their placement on the Single Spine Salary Structure Addressing the parade, Alhaji Issahaku Salia, the Upper West Regional Minister said the day reminded Ghanaians of all the gallant men and women, especially Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who sacrificed and toiled for the country to attain independence.

He said 54 years was enough for Ghanaians to achieve the desired level of commitment towards the development of the country and urged all to foste= r unity and purpose so that together, they could develop the nation. Touching on the theme for the celebration, which is 93Discipline and Hard Work 96 Essential Pre-requisites for the Better Ghana Agenda", Alha= ji Salia said the gradual erosion of discipline and hard work accounted for th= e slide in the country's development effort.

He noted that the indiscipline had found its way into homes, schools, roads and most regrettably, religious institutions. The Regional Minister called for a collective national crusade to figh= t indiscipline, so that people would appreciate the value of discipline and hard work to the development of the country.

Alhaji Salia said the government, since coming into office two years ago, put in significant initiatives, which had led to an improvement in all sectors of the economy.

He said the Region for the past two years received 182 educational infrastructure projects while a sod was also cut for the construction of a Regional Hospital at Wa, with four polyclinics to follow soon. The Regional Minister said the unveiling of important initiatives such as the Savanna Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and the revamping o= f the Cotton Industry would provide opportunities for many to improve their lot. He thanked the schools for participating in the march-pass and urged them to take their studies serious.

Prizes were presented to schools that performed well in the march-pass= , with Dan-Ibu International School picking the first prize in both primary and Junior High Schools categories, while Wa Islamic Senior High (SHS) School picked the prize for the first position in the SHS category. Distinguished personalities such as Reverend father Sylvester Domoyelle, a Catholic Priest, Madam Dominica Dasaah, Wa East District Director of Education and Madam Scholastica Gyielle, Wa Municipal Director of Education, among others, received honorary awards for their contribution= s towards the development of the Region.

Nineteen teachers also took awards in recognition of their hard work i= n the year 2010.