The National Commission for Civic Education, (NCCE), commences its Annual Citizenship Week from Monday, May 27, to Monday, June 3, 2019. That’s according to the Commission in a statement.
The statement which was signed by its Chairperson, Josephine Nkrumah, and copied to gbcghanaonline.com, said: “The NCCE and its volunteers will move across the length and breadth of the country to exceed their visit of eight thousand and eighty-two (8,082) schools in 2018 to ten thousand (10,000) selected schools this year”.
Citizenship Week is an annual flagship programme to educate and sensitise pupils on issues of national concern with relevance to our 1992 Constitution.
Citizenship Week was instituted in 2012 and is celebrated each year to engender civic consciousness among young citizens of Ghana. The statement said.
This year’s Citizenship Week is on the theme: “A Clean Ghana, Our Responsibility”.
“The issue of sanitation is high on the agenda of the Commission’s Citizenship Week celebration because of the adverse effect of plastic waste and general filth in our environment.”The statement explained.
Adding that, the theme is crucial because of the challenges and dangers poor sanitation practices pose to the environment. Filth continues to engulf our cities and towns and there is a growing concern regarding the indiscriminate disposal of plastic waste with its attendant flooding, loss of lives and properties during the rainy seasons.
It further explained that “Article 41 (g) and (k) of the 1992 Constitution enjoins all citizens “to contribute to the well- being of the community in which they live” and “to protect and safeguard the environment.”
“It is the duty of all citizens to contribute in making Ghana a clean country through sustainable public education and awareness creation as well as change in lifestyle with respect to the use and disposal of plastics and general waste management.”
Ghana’s fight to address sanitation issues is also in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), six (6) that entreats all to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” and Goal 14, which demands that “we conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources to drive global systems to make the earth habitable for humankind.”
The Commission calls on all Ghanaians to play their role in making Ghana a clean country by consciously contributing to reducing choice in plastics and opting for biodegradable.
Citizens are also encouraged to choose alternative packaging for food, foodstuff and beverages such as paper shopping bags, straw baskets, reusable bowls, flasks and water bottles to help fade out the use of polythene and other single use plastics.
As global citizens, it behoves on us to play our part in adopting life styles that ensure the sustainable management of our environment and commit to helping build a clean Ghana.
Implementation of the 2019 Citizenship Week has been made possible with support from the European Union (EU).
“God Bless Our Homeland Ghana And Make Our Nation Great And Strong!” The statement concluded.
