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International conference on corruption awareness in schools
opens
Accra, April 2, Ghanadot/GNA – A two-day
international conference on corruption-free schools to adopt
a code of conduct for stakeholders of schools opened in
Accra on Wednesday with a call on all actors to show more
commitment and dedication to sustain the campaign to achieve
the desired benefits.
Mr Baffour Dokyi Amoa, Director, International Campaign for
Corruption-Free Schools (ICCS), said the sustenance was
necessary to rid schools, communities and societies of the
menace of corruption in the educational system.
The conference organized by the ICCS and supported by “Bread
For All”, a Switzerland-based Non-Governmental Organisation,
brought together participants from nine countries to discuss
and adopt a code of conduct for stakeholders in schools.
The countries are Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Burkina Faso,
Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea Conakry and Switzerland, and a
representative from the ECOWAS Commission.
Mr Amoa said the Campaign was to raise awareness and educate
trainers and trainees on the negative impact of corruption,
eradicate or minimize corruption in selected schools in
selected countries.
It was also to promote common campaign through networking
among the selected schools, other actors and between
countries.
Mr Amoa said the idea of the campaign was mooted in 2000 and
was followed with a baseline survey in four countries in
West Africa prior to pilot campaign projects in four
countries, which were planned and implemented in 2003.
“Today, we can count a total of eight countries in the
sub-region that are part of the campaign,” he said.
He said in Ghana, six existing schools were monitored and 16
new schools were also recruited during the period.
“These comprised two basic schools, 19 secondary schools and
one tertiary institution. In all, about 13,450 pupils and
students were reached during the period.
“Today, I dare say that a large number of students and
pupils, parents/guardians, school administrators, teachers
and even non-school personalities have been touched by this
campaign and we continue to receive many positive responses
from across the sub-region.”
Mrs. Angelina Baiden-Amissah, Deputy Minister of Education,
Science and Sports, said the recent upsurge of corruption in
the education sector was alarming.
She said it was vital for the well-being of countries that
children developed a conscience which would enable them to
choose between right and wrong so that they could become
upright role models, active and worthy members of a
prosperous society as well as fearless future leaders.
She said working to get children to appreciate the need for
correct behaviour was highly crucial for social
re-engineering and it was therefore essential that all and
sundry joined in the crusade to educate children to resist
and desist from corrupt practices.
In a speech read for him, Mr Samuel Bannerman-Mensah,
Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, said
research had shown that corruption that took place in the
school, particularly at the basic school level and which
directly involved pupils, their teachers and parents, had
the most detrimental impact on the children.
He said children were adversely affected by that type of
corruption, adding that, it impinged on their opportunities
in life and could directly impede them from having access to
school or from being promoted.
Mr Bannerman-Mensah said in order to combat corruption in
schools, there was the need to define clear norms and
regulations for effective enforcement.
He also called for the adoption of transparent procedures
within an explicit policy framework that would specify
stakeholder roles and responsibilities.
GNA
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