Aspire to greater heights in career - Deputy Minister urges prisons recruits
New recruits of the Ghana Prisons Service have been advised to aspire to greatness in their chosen profession as they serve the nation professionally and diligently.
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They have also been urged to direct their energies towards improving themselves, and avoid all acts of indiscipline to safeguard their career.
A Deputy Minister for the Interior, Naana Eyiah, who gave the advice, said doing so would enable the recruits to become better in their field and offer quality services to their institution.
She gave the advice at the passing out parade of newly recruited personnel at the Prison Officers Training School last Thursday.
Recruits, training
The recruits, made up of 448 participants of Course 122, comprised 261 men, representing 58 per cent, and 187 women, who represented 41.7 per cent.
It is the first of three recruit courses being run this year.
The recruits, drawn from various professional and vocational backgrounds selected based on the human resource needs of the Service, were mostly general-duty personnel and artisans, who comprised of carpenters, masons, plumbers, and mechanics.
Others had Diplomas and Higher National Diploma in various disciplines including education, nursing, agriculture and secretarial duties.
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As part of their training, the recruits had an intensive training programme that highlighted the practical day-to-day aspects of prison and offender management and received regular classroom instructions in Prison Duties, Penal Law, Reception Duties and Inter-personal Skills.
Other areas of instruction were in Drill and Physical Training, First Aid, and the Computation of Prisoners’ Sentences.
The recruits put up a spectacular display which received resounding applause from the audience.
Awards
Five recruit officers, who distinguished themselves in the course of their training, were given awards with recruit officer, Reuben Ahiaxornu, emerging the overall best recruit officer.
The other awardees were best in physical training, Stephen Hammond; the best in drill, Abdulai Abass; winner of the commandant’s award, Doris Asare, and best in academics, Lilian Derry.
Discipline, professionalism
The deputy minister, who was the reviewing officer at the parade, said their recruitment was a great boost to the staff strength and operational capacity of the Service and, therefore, they must exhibit the skills and knowledge acquired through their training.
“Let discipline and professionalism continue to guide your conduct at all times and adopt the principles of vigilance, humanity, and fortitude.
These must be your watchwords in your relationship with officers, men, women and inmates.”
She tasked the recruits to treat the prisoners with care, respect, and decency without compromising their professional ethics, bearing in mind that “imprisonment is punishment in itself and not for punishment.”.
Ms Eyiah encouraged the recruits to accept postings to wherever their services might be needed stating that “there is no such thing as a bad station, wherever you are posted to, endeavour to make use of the opportunities available there to your advantage.”
Entrepreneurship Programme
The deputy minister commended the Ghana Prisons Service and the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP) for launching the “Entrepreneurship for Restoration Programme” to provide skills in various light manufacturing areas and entrepreneurship to prison officers and inmates.
The participants were also provided with starter packs and kits they would use for production.
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The programme will provide grants and loans as working capital for officers who have been trained for them to be able to set up these businesses. Working capital was also given to inmates for their start-ups, upon their discharge from prisons.
“The impact of this programme will not only be limited to beneficiaries alone, but will also create job opportunities.”