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NCCE opens work for citizenship
Sekondi, Nov. 24, Ghanadot/GNA - Mr Lary Bimi, Chairman of
the National Commission For Civic Education (NCCE), has said
democracy was about quality citizenship and not about
elections.
He said this in an address read for him at the opening of a
three-day workshop on Project Citizen Ghana, a project of
the commission, at Sekondi.
The workshop, organised by the NCCE and sponsored by the
Hanns Seidel Foundation, is to train selected social studies
teachers, patrons of civic education clubs and NCCE staff to
implement Project Citizen in the Western Region.
Mr Bimi said although elections are very important in
democracy, they are not the ultimate.
He said people have to become the centerpiece of democracy
and their own governance at all levels.
"Democracy is about citizenship that inspires the citizen to
be patriotic. It is about a society that sacrifices personal
gains for national interest, benefit and development.
Democracy is about freedom with responsibility".
Mr Bimi said the project was a portfolio based civic
education programme for students and youth groups to promote
competent and responsible and responsible participation in
local and national government.
He said the programme would help young people learn how to
monitor and influence public policy and in the process,
develop support for democratic values and principles,
tolerance, respect, respect for the rule of law and good
citizenship.
Mr Bimi said the project is administered by the NCCE and
Civitas Ghana in cooperation with the Center for Civic
Education of the United States.
He said it was piloted in 20 junior and senior high schools
in the Greater Accra and Northern regions in 2006 with a
total of 574 students and pupils participating in it.
Mr Bimi said the Central, Eastern and Upper East regions
were brought on board this year.
He said a total of 63 schools and over one thousand students
and pupils are participating in the country Mr Bimi said 16
schools in the Western Region are participating in the
project.
Mr Kwaku Baa Owusu, Western Regional Director of NCCE, said
the youth and students must have the courage to question all
wrongs and aberrations of the country's social arrangement.
He said to do this they must have the requisite knowledge
and skills that would give them the empowerment to
strengthen their personal as well as the collective
sovereignty of the nation.
Miss Katharina Patzelt, assistant representative of Hanns
Seidel Foundation, said democracy could be strengthened
through civic education and the foundation was working with
the NCCE and other local partners to achieve this.
GNA
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