Excellence, discipline key to Ghana’s future - Deputy Minister to awardees
The Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Clement Abas Apaak, has urged outstanding Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates to view their academic success as a responsibility to contribute meaningfully to the country’s development.
He said their excellence was not only a personal achievement but also part of the country’s broader investment in building a disciplined, skilled and capable future workforce.
“Ghana is looking up to you. We are buying time. I mean, most of us are over 50-years-old. Yours is the present and the future, and we are looking up to you. And don't let anyone tell you that you are not capable.
You are as good as any person your age and at your level in any part of the world,” he said.
Dr Apaak said this last Monday when 52 award-winning 2025 BECE candidates paid a courtesy call on him at the Ministry of Education in Accra ahead of their national awards ceremony.
Encouragement
The awardees were selected from across the 16 regions, comprising students from public and private schools.
Among them were two visually impaired and two hearing impaired students, reflecting the inclusive nature of the selection process.
Dr Apaak urged the award-winning candidates not to rest on their oars, encouraging them to build on their academic success and pursue higher achievements with discipline and focus.
He said their recognition should mark the beginning of greater responsibility and sustained excellence in their educational journey.
“So let me encourage you that what you have achieved should be the beginning.
Don't let it be the end.
Let me see you again after you have written your WASSCE. That would tell me that you didn't rest on your oares. You took advantage of this opportunity to build up”, he said.
Shun hooliganism
Touching on recent concerns about indiscipline in some Senior High Schools (SHS), the deputy minister cautioned students against hooliganism and misconduct, warning that such behaviour would attract sanctions, including prosecution where necessary.
He stressed that the government was committed to enforcing discipline in schools to protect the integrity of the education system.
“I know that you are here because you have good behaviour.
The minister has given us the marching orders and the President has given us his blessing that there must be discipline in our secondary schools.
So if you misconduct yourself, you will be arrested, you will be prosecuted and you may go to jail.
And also lose the opportunity to realise your dream through schoolwork,” he stated.
Dr Apaak iterated key government interventions aimed at improving access to quality education and supporting teachers.
He mentioned initiatives to provide accommodation for teachers posted to rural and underserved communities, coupled with an additional 20 per cent allowance to motivate educators who accepted such postings.
