Joyce Aryee blames corruption, greed in Ghana on lack of discipline

The Executive Director of the Salt and Light Ministries, Rev. Joyce Rosalind Aryee says the menace of corruption, greed, and nepotism in Ghana was due to lack of discipline.

According to her, the absence of discipline in the national life of Ghanaians was why corruption, nepotism and greed have developed deep roots in public life.

"Indiscipline is the reason for bribery, corruption, nepotism, greed, laziness and mediocrity. This must stop," she said.

Rev. Aryee expressed the opinion at the 78th Speech and Prize Giving Day of the Odogornno Senior High School in Accra on Saturday.

The school celebrated the occasion on the theme: "Discipline, the key to academic excellence."

Rev. Aryee was of the view that "Disciplined leadership at the national, local, traditional, religious, educational (administrative and students) is what is required for a country like Ghana to break free from our backwardness."

She said discipline is not only needed in the academic field and that it was a prerequisite element in any progressive nation, saying that Ghana can grow faster if it makes discipline its bedrock.

According to her, many developed nations in the world have reached where they are now due to how they imbibed discipline in the citizenry.

She explained that without discipline, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for a country like Ghana to make any meaningful progress in its developmental drive.

Rev. Joyce Aryee said self-discipline helps people to make informed decisions and choices, pointing out that "Ghana is blessed with a lot of natural resources but due to lack of discipline, we are not able to use them to better the lives of our people."

She therefore urged parents and teachers to work hand-in-hand in disciplining students so as to help them achieve academic excellence.

The Headmistress of the school, Mrs Valencia Quame, commended the forebears of the school for their foresight in its establishment.

She said the school since its establishment, has trained and continue to train industrious human resources for the country.

She said the school continues to remain a force in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), reiterating that it would continue to raise the standards of education in the Senior High School (SHS) level in the country.

History

Established in 1940 at Adabraka in the Greater Accra Region, by Mr Joseph Thomas Leigh and his three friends, who were all teachers at the Accra High School, Odorgonno was later absorbed into the government system and moved from its initial location to its present location at Awoshie also in Accra in 1990.

Originally a Boys Day School, the school became a mixed institution in 1993 and received boarding status in 2007.