On Friday, 25th of February, the Brong Ahafo Students’ Union- KNUST and Berekumcity.Com embarked on an educational outreach in the senior high schools in Berekum. The union aimed at motivating the student to study hard and excel to the university. It was very fruitful and the student attested to how inspiring and educative the project had enriched them.
After the various talks and interactions with the students, the team paid a courtesy call on the queen of Kato traditional area, a suburb of Berekum.
The queen, Nana Afia Siraa Ababio III was so touched by what the students had done for the Berekum community.
She outlined some of the community’s challenges; a lot of people have the urge to pursue greater height in education but most of them lack encouragement and inspiration towards such achievement.
She elaborated that, this was due to poor parenting and child neglect which has reared its ugly head in the municipality. “Child labor in our community isn’t as intense as child neglect, which has led to high level of indiscipline and no sense of direction among the youth”, she emphasized.
She further went on to emphasize that, the introduction of the western culture, specifically the concept of housing orphanage is killing the society silently. She explains that, the orphanage concept breaks down our extended family culture which encourages fellowship in the community. She suggested that orphanages could be replaced with shelters where the kids could be coached but will still have the privilege of mingling with their traditional extended family to prevent the breakdown of our prestigious cultural values.
She finally touched on pride, which she describes as the mania destroying our society. She encouraged them to be humble, listen to advice and enquire from persons who knows best in whatever they need to know and shouldn’t feel too big to ask questions.
She finally danced with the students with her Otwaakwan cultural troop and bid them farewell as they left for Kumasi.
