The Western Regional Director of Education Mrs Rebecca Afiba Dadzi has urged parents, religious bodies and Organizations to ensure proper up-bringing of the youth.
She explained that with moral decadence, arm robberies and HIV/AIDS threatening society, it behoved on religious bodies and Non Governmental Organisations to ensure that the right kind of education was imparted to the youth who were future leaders of the nation.
Mrs Dadzi was speaking at the third graduation ceremony of the Saint Theresa's Vocational Institute at Awiaso near Aiyinase in the Ellembenle District of the Western Region.
It was on the theme "Technology, Technical-Vocation Education and Training - Its Relevance to Manpower Development and Employment."
The Institute, established in 1992 by the Sekondi-Takoradi dioceses of the Catholic Church, with 10 students, now has a total student population of 60.
The twenty-one students who graduated were presented with certificates. Kate Yeboah was adjudged the overall best student.
Mrs Dadzi commended the Catholic Dioceses for the establishment of the Institute to train the youth in various vocations.
She said for the nation to develop, it must re-focus its educational policy to promote technical-vocation education.
Reverend Sister Martina Dosu, Principal of the Institute, said the aim of the Institute was to empower women in the area to become useful and self-supporting in the society instead of travelling to nearby Cote d'Ivoire.
She said most women who travelled to that country for greener pastures had been exposed to social vices and appealed to girls to enrol in the Institute to upgrade their skills.
Sister Dosu appealed to the District Assemblies in the three Nzema Districts to assist the Institute to overcome some of its problems.
The Prefect of the Institute, Miss Justina Jonfiah reminded the students that premature parenthood was an undesirable situation and urged them to learn hard to enable them to come out with flying colours.