Dr Prince Sodoke Amuzu, District Chief Executive (DCE) of Akatsi North has said there should not be any justification for the Muslim community (Zongo) in the District to keep their children from school.
He said the Zongo had produced lots of prominent citizens, who should be seen as role models for the younger generation living in the area and to serve as inspiration for them to attain higher heights in education.
Dr Amuzu made the call during the commissioning of a Ghana Education Trust Fund sponsored six-unit classroom block with ancillary facilities at Ansar Islamic Basic School, Ave Afiadenyigba.
The DCE cited GhOne’s Faisel Abdul-Iddrisu (from the area) who graduated with first class honours in BA Governance Studies from E.P. University College, Ho at its 11th and 12th congregation on Friday, May 14.
He said education remained the surest way of ensuring proper development of any child into a successful citizen for the family and the society and it was important for Muslim communities to realise it because it would go a long way to change the current narrative about Zongos.
“This community has produced and continues to produce notable people for the society. I am a happy person as I stand here before you especially just coming from a graduation ceremony at E.P. University in Ho. Faissel, who’s from this District precisely from here, Ave Afiadenyigba had first class and also an award in student leadership.
Let us be motivated to send our children to school to prepare a bright future for them and tomorrow when they become important people we’ll be proud to say these are our children.”
Mr Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, Member of Parliament for Akatsi North also underscored the need for parents to send their children especially girls to school saying, teenage girls should be kept in school and not given out in marriage.
He said there were so many benefits to derive from educating a girl child and under no circumstance should parents or guardians jeopardise the future of their daughters by marrying them off noting, that would only intensify the poverty level in the Zongo community.
The day also saw the inauguration of a committee named Junior Youth Group in the area whose task was to look out for bad characters and call them out to be shamed with the general objective of influencing good behaviour among the young ones.