The Executive Director of Childs’ Right International, Mr. Bright Appiah has dismissed calls for an immediate exclusion of school pupils from Independence Day parades, saying such events are critical to their “patriotism and development.”
“I believe that one of the ways that we can build the patriotism of children is for them to participate in national events of this nature.”
His comments come in the wake of calls for an immediate exclusion of school pupils from Independence Day parades.
According to Pressure group, Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) , the annual ritual of having school children march on Independence Day is archaic and primitive.
But speaking on Eyewitness News, Mr. Appiah dismissed those claims , saying activities that will allow children to participate in national events should rather be given some level of priority and interest.
“Infact we are even expecting the President to have time for interaction and outline his plans to the children,”he added
“One of the cardinal principles on which we enacted the Children’s Act has to do with child participation so clearly we cannot rule that out in any discussion,”he explained
51 students collapsed in the Tema Metropolis on Thursday morning during a parade to mark Ghana’s 57th independence anniversary celebration.
Out of the number, 49 were students drawn from various schools in the Ashaiman Municipality who had converged at the Mandela Park for the parade
In that regard, Mr. Appaih proposed that appropriate preparations be made to prevent challenges that will hinder children from participating in such events.
“ All things must be in order to ensure that children participate and participate well,” he insisted.
By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana