New Juaben honours students at Akwantukese today
A grand durbar to climax this year’s Akwantukese festival of the chiefs and people of New Juaben today is billed to be a defining moment for the residents of the area, especially many schoolchildren, and students.
This is because this year’s event will, more than ever, place priority on recognizing the hard work of pupils and students who had excelled academically, a major feature that will leave a lasting impression on the minds of these young ones to appreciate that hard work is rewarding.
In all, 1,300 pupils and students from 250 basic schools, second cycle and the two universities — All Nations University College and the Koforidua Technical University — in the New Juaben Municipality will receive honours from the Omanhene of New Juaben, Daasebre (Prof. Emeritus) Oti Boateng, a renowned academic, who strongly believes it is time to offer the due recognition to the young ones.
Turning moment
The Daasebre Silver Jubilee awards to the pupils and students form part of the avowed commitment of the Omanhene to make New Juaben the cradle of holistic education in Ghana.
“It will be a great honour to stand among the children who will be chosen to receive the Daasebre Silver Jubilee awards in the presence of my parents, teachers, friends and family members,” Jessica Frimpong, a pupil of the Madonna Preparatory School in Koforidua said.
The excitement beaming on this young pupil’s face made me appreciate that as young as she is, she equally nurtures a strong desire to be acknowledged and rewarded for her hard work in the full glare of others, a common desire other young school children associate with.
Therefore, the decision of the New Juaben Traditional Council, headed by the Omanhene, a board member of the United Nations International Civil Service Commission (ICSC), to bestow honour on pupils and students to mark his silver jubilee is a great move that will incentivise all pupils and students to the learning process and challenge them to go all out to excel in life.
Why is the award special?
This year’s Akwantukese festival, to be attended by government officials, chiefs from all the regions, members of the diplomatic corp, tourists and people from all walks of life, will be a swift departure from previous celebrations that often gave prominent platforms to celebrate the distinct accomplishments of many adult individuals, corporate bodies and educational institutions, as well as a handful of students, for their contributions to the development of the New Juaben Municipality.
The selection of pupils and students chosen on merit by their school teachers, with the supervision of the Ghana Education Service (GES), to receive the awards will be unprecedented in the history of the celebration of the Akwantukese festival, which is highly cherished by the chiefs and people of New Juaben.
Moreover, the award to schoolchildren and students is special because its marks the dual celebration of the silver jubilee of Daasebre Oti Boateng as the Omanhene of New Juaben Traditional Area (1992-2017) and the 20th anniversary of the institution of the Akwantukese festival (1997-2017).
Cradle of holistic education
On September 10, 2017, Daasebre Oti Boateng, a former Government Statistician, announced at the launch of the Akwantukese festival that as part of efforts to make New Juaben the cradle of holistic education in Ghana, he had initiated what he described as “planting of a perpetual seed of holistic education,” which would be a major focus of this year’s festival.
“Our aim is to transform education on a new wave of innovation that delivers better value to our children. Consequently, the planting of the perpetual seed of holistic education is our avowed ambition to leave an education legacy for the people,” he said.
To achieve the vision and sustain it, he hinted that a nine-member Akwantukese Education Board would be inaugurated at the grand durbar to help promote education in New Juaben.
Essence of Akwantukese Festival
The Akwantukese Festival of the chiefs and people of New Juaben helps to provide a linkage to their historic past and a united platform for sustainable socio-economic development.
Since its inception 20 years ago, the festival has achieved remarkable successes by focusing on missing but salient elements of Asante history and attaining significant national and international exposure and participation.
The festival commemorates the great migration of the Juaben people and their allies from their ancestral homes in Ashanti to establish the New Juaben settlement in the Eastern Region in 1870s. It has been able to promote socio-economic progress through education of the youth on their origins, traditions, customs and serves as a tourist attraction for people from all over the world.
The Akwantukese festival has succeeded in institutionalising a traditional festival in post-independence Ghana, thereby bringing into contemporary prominence a missing but crucial historic event of a major part of Asante history in Ghana. It has been able to instil the spirit of unity and resoluteness among residents of New Juaben, helping to build a stable and sustainable society.
