The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has inaugurated a Civic Education Club (CEC) in the University of Media, Arts and Communication (UniMAC), as part of efforts to strengthen anti-corruption advocacy and promote leadership accountability among students.
The club will encourage the study of the Constitution to broaden and deepen youth understanding of democracy and nation-building.
It will also serve as a platform for civic engagement, public education and student-led discussions on corruption, accountability, democratic governance and responsible citizenship across university campuses.
Symposium
The club was inaugurated at a symposium in Accra last Tuesday, making it the latest of over 5,000 clubs the commission has established to promote responsible citizenship and student participation through civic education in schools across the country.
The symposium brought together officials of the NCCE, representatives of the participating tertiary institutions, students, governance advocates and guests.
It served as a platform to engage tertiary students on issues of responsible citizenship, ethical leadership, accountability in public service and student participation in governance discourse.
It was organised by the NCCE with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the European Union (EU), the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
The participating universities are UniMAC, the University of Ghana, the University of Ghana Medical School, the University of Professional Studies, the Accra Technical University, the Islamic University College, Ghana, the Pentecost University and the Heritage Christian University College.
Responsibility
Speaking at the symposium, the Chairperson of the NCCE, Kathleen Addy, called on tertiary students to take an active role in shaping a fair and accountable society through personal integrity and responsible leadership.
She encouraged students to become part of a new generation of ethical leaders capable of positively influencing institutions and communities.
Ms Addy also urged students to resist practices that undermined fairness, instead, to take advantage of the CECs as platforms to build a stronger culture of integrity and civic responsibility among the youth.
For his part, the Dean of the School of Journalism at UniMAC, Prof. Godwin Etse Sikanku, said civic education was crucial to safeguard democracy and fight corruption in the country.
He also commended the NCCE for the initiative, describing the CEC as “a needed intervention and platforms for building a stronger culture of integrity and civic responsibility among young people.”