Goodwin College, East Hartford, in Connecticut, USA, has awarded Dr Mrs Naadu Mills, First Lady of Ghana, with a doctorate degree for devoting her life to enhancing girl-child education in Ghana.
She was also celebrated for initiating ‘Foundation for Child Education, Ghana,’ a project aimed at influencing policy makers to ensure that every child in Ghana was educated.
A press release, issued by the Office of the President on Sunday and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said Dr Mrs Naadu Mills was given the recognition at the College’s colourful and well attended graduation ceremony for 2011.
In a response, Dr Mrs Naadu Mills lauded the Goodwin College for the honour done her, adding that, the reward would serve as a morale booster to accelerate her commitment to influence policy makers to support girls’ and children’s education.
It said she was also grateful to President Evans Atta Mills for remaining a motivating pillar behind her success and was happy that, the President was poised to improve infrastructure at the lower levels of education.
Dr Mrs Mills said the Government was gradually getting rid of cultural impediments that stagnated girl-child education in Ghana, adding that, the education of women had the potential of having positive exponential effects on the economy.
The President of Goodwin College, Mr Mark Sceinberg lauded the First Lady for joining other noble women in Ghana to champion the rights of females, a move he was convinced could address underdevelopment.
Mr Sceinberg said he was happy Ghana was in the process of deepening its democratic experiments and urged other African countries to embrace democracy and protect human rights.
The statement said in 2009, Dr Mrs Naadu Mills launched the Governments Free School Uniform Programme to provide over 1.6 million uniforms to pupils in more than 77 deprived communities across the country and that strengthened her commitment to influence policies on education to benefit the poor.
It said the First Lady, later on, fraternized with the Ghanaian community in Connecticut and encouraged them to live above reproach and be exemplary in all their endeavours.
She said Ghana-United States relations dated back to many years and cautioned the residents against acts that could undermine the ties.
The statement said the Ghanaian residents in Connecticut turned out in their numbers to witness the historic ceremony.
It said the residents could not hide their joy about the enhanced image of Ghana in Hartford with the award.
Dr Mrs Naadu Mills pursued a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and Psychology at the University of Ghana, Legon, and later earned a Masters of Philosophy in Sociology in Deviant Behaviour and Control.
She is also a trained teacher and a nutritionist and had imparted knowledge throughout her adult life.
The statement said she was joined by Ghana’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Mr Ken Kandah; Chief Executive of The Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Dr Alfred Oko Vanderpuje; President of the Ghana Telecom University, Dr Osei Darkwa and Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Mr Ohene Agyekum.