Kumasi, July 22, GNA- Mr S.F. Adjei, Director of the Centre for National Culture (CNC), Kumasi, has called for the inclusion of Performing and Visual Arts in the curricula of Junior and Senior Secondary Schools (JSS/SSS).

He noted that by encouraging the study of subjects like music, dance and drama at the JSS and SSS levels, the country would not only be assured of solid foundation for producing high calibre of professionals for the Arts but it would also be assisting the youth to assert themselves as confident Ghanaians.

Mr Adjei was addressing the opening of a two-day basic schools cultural festival in Kumasi on Thursday.

The schools are competing in choral music, sight singing, poetry recital, drum language, drumming and dancing and dance drama.

This is to select a team to represent the Ashanti Region at the national schools cultural festival to be held in Sunyani with a theme: "Culture, A Bedrock For Discipline In Our Society".

Mr Adjei spoke of the need to constantly keep the youth alive to their cultural norms and practices, saying, "This is important because, culture deals with the very lives of the people and should be seen as a positive tool for socio-political and economic development". The youth should therefore, be prepared through culture to be in tune with the development of their environment, he said, noting that, the celebration of cultural festivals was a way of promoting and rejuvenating the country's culture.

Mr Kojo F. Prah, Afigya-Sekyere District Director of Education, said what Ghana needed was a disciplined youth who would maintain structures and norms in society.

He said cultural studies should be taken more seriously, since that would enable the youth to cope with the pressures of globalisation. 22 July 04