Commemorating 70th Anniversary of Cadet Corps: Dr Bawumia urges security agencies to recruit cadet corps members
The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has urged security agencies to unearth brilliant talents from the National Cadet Corps and other volunteer youth groups, and offer them quotas during recruitment and enlistment into the services.
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He said the discipline and knowledge cadets acquired from their training was rich and could be used for the benefit of the nation. In line with that, Dr Bawumia proposed that a minimum of 10 per cent quota should be offered them as against a two per cent quota requested by the leadership of the cadet corps last year.
The Vice-President, who was addressing the seventh National Cadet Youth Parade and the 70th anniversary of the National Cadet Corps Ghana at the Black Star Square in Accra yesterday, therefore, directed the Coordinator of the Cadet Corps to liaise with the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service (GES) and table a memo to Cabinet on the matter for consideration.
The occasion also marked the commemoration of the 64th Republic Day anniversary of the nation. In attendance were ministers of state, members of the diplomatic corps, religious and traditional leaders, representatives of various security agencies and heads of various youth groups.
Parade
A total of 20, 000 students from 60 schools across the country who formed 60 contingents participated in the event. A second-year student of the Presbyterian Boys Senior High School (PRESEC) Legon, Senior Under Officer Samuel Adriel Papa Nii Tettey, was the parade commander.
A mass band of the cadets was at hand to provide music for the contingent who marched in slow and quick motions to the admiration of all present.
Youth Day
“Ghana’s youth of today tell us the future of our Republic. The discipline embedded in them tells us how the future will be when most of us are no longer in leadership,” Dr Bawumia said.
He proposed that July 1 be set aside as a National Youth Day since there was no such day for the youth. The Vice-President further recommended to the National Award Planning Committee to consider the inclusion of the cadet corps and other youth leaders for recognition as a result of their selflessness, volunteerism, consistency and hard work over the years.
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Dr Bawumia, who is also the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the forthcoming election in December this year, further urged the youth to exercise their constitutional right of electing the next leader of the country in the polls.
Some persons who had showed great leadership towards the growth and development of the cadet corps in the year under review were awarded.
And by courtesy of the Office of the Chief of Staff at the Presidency, the awardees would visit the Greater Manchester Police during a 10-day education and familiarisation tour of the UK.
Commendation
The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Dr Eric Nkansah, congratulated members of the cadet corps and encouraged them to continue working hard to promote good citizenship, peace, volunteerism and patriotism in the country.
The General Coordinator of the National Cadet, Nicholas Nii Tettey-Amarteifio, called on corporate institutions and individuals to support them.
History
The National Cadet Corps, whose establishment dates back to September 1954, began at the Ghana Secondary Technical School (GSTS) in Takoradi in the Western Region, with the core objective of fostering discipline and loyalty among students.
It was also to nurture their interest to join the Gold Coast Frontier Force which later evolved into the Ghana Army, and subsequently the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF). Many other schools, such as St Augustine’s College, Tamale Senior High School, Achimota School, Accra Academy, St Paul’s Senior High School, Denu, and the Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast, subsequently established theirs with assistance of the GAF.
The country currently has a total of 1,276 cadet corps in various institutions and a numerical strength of 76,577 membership at the basic, secondary and tertiary levels.