CHILDREN in the Tamale metropolis have appealed to the elderly to avoid tendencies that have the potential of causing social upheavals and rather engage in acts that promote peace and social harmony in the metropolis.
According to the children, the actions and inaction of the elderly had a direct effect on their growth, since children looked up to adults for inspiration and guidance.
The children further gave credence to the saying that, “The proper development of the child is everybody’s responsibility.”
The children made the appeal at this year’s African Child Day Celebration in Tamale last Tuesday on the theme: “Right to participate: let children be heard and seen”.
The programme was organised by the Centre for Active Learning and Integrated Development (CALID) with support from ActionAid Ghana, both non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
The pupils were drawn from the Tamale metropolis, Nanumba North, Chereponi, Saboba and Savelugu districts.
Activities lined up for the week-long programme included an interaction with traditional rulers, civil society and governmental agencies.
The children also held a panel discussion on the global financial crisis. Earlier in a quiz contest, the Savelugu/Nanton District emerged tops.
The children further expressed concern over the protracted chieftaincy and political disputes in the area, which they noted were adversely affecting them in their studies and the accelerated development of the metropolis and the region.
The Programmes Co-ordinator of CALID, Mr Sumani Bapio Mohammed Awal, called for the creation of more opportunities for children to enable them to explore their talents and make the right decisions about their lives.
He noted that the youth were becoming sophisticated and needed special protection and guidance from society.
The Northern Regional Manager of ActionAid Ghana, Mr Yakubu Mohammed Saani, observed that since Ghana was a signatory to various conventions and protocols on the rights of the child, it was necessary to enforce those protocols.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Tamale Metropolitan Chief executive, Alhaji Abdulai Harruna Friday, expressed the assembly’s commitment to strictly enforce all bye-laws governing parental responsibilities as a means of promoting the welfare of neglected children in the metropolis.
He called on parents to consider the education of their children of school age especially the girl child as their major priority.
The Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Mr Moses Mabengba, said the government would initiate child-centred programmes to encourage children to be in school particularly in deprived communities. He, therefore, appealed to the people to ensure sustainable peace to facilitate the accelerated development of the area.
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