Contrary to threats from some teachers that they would boycott the 54th Independence Anniversary parade, teachers and school children turned up in their numbers in Cape Coast, Elmina and Twifo Praso for the parade.
In Cape Coast 80 teachers, 1,300 school children from Primary, Junior, Senior High schools and workers from both the formal and informal sectors matched gracefully during the short but impressive ceremony.
Mrs. Ama Benyiwa-Doe, the Central Regional Minister who took the salute, said even though Ghana was now a middle income country, the capita income wass not evenly distributed.
She said the country was yet to gain socio-economic independence as a result of the nation’s heavy dependence on other nations for economic support while its social infrastructure remain undeveloped.
Mrs. Benyiwa-Doe therefore called on the youth to let the theme for the celebration “Discipline and hard work, essential prerequisite for a better Ghana” be their watchwords, eschew bribery and corruption, lateness to work, disrespect for authority, indiscriminate disposal of waste and strive to participate in nation building.
Cherubim and Seraphim Primary was first in the Primary division while St. Monica JSS took the first position at the Junior High School level with Cape Coast Technical placing first at the Senior High School division.
Effutu Senior High won the best cadet corps
At Elmina, more than a 1,000 school children and 120 cadet corps participated in the parade reviewed by Rev. Mrs. Veronica Essumang Nelson, the Municipal Chief Executive who urged them to maintain discipline.
At Twifo-Praso in the Twifo-Hemang-Lower-Denkyira Municipality, 38 basic and senior high schools, some workers of Zoomlion Company limited and station boys took part in the parade.
The Municipal Chief executive, Mr. Joseph Foster Andoh, expressed concern about the break down in discipline in the Ghanaian society and called on them to unite with a common purpose of correcting the wrongs in the society.
New Creation was adjudged the first in the Primary division followed by TOPP with 31st December placing third.
At the Junior High School level TOPP was first while Twifo Praso Senior was first at the Senior High School level.