It explained that if that was done, the children would grow up being conscious of whatever they did and would have the love for their country.

These were part of an eight-point recommendations at the end of the four-day event, which brought together top government officials, metropolitan, municipal and district assembly officials, academia, civil society organisations and students.

Civic responsibility

Explaining the recommendations, the Rapporteur-General of the New Year School and Conference, Dr Samuel Amponsah, cited for instance that because of the orientation of the Japanese from their childhood, “when they are working, they work as if that is their entire life.”

He said it was so because they had inculcated that love for country right from childhood and they grew up to appreciate the need to work and die for their country.

Inspiration

“Additionally, if you go to America, even the hardened criminal will say ‘God bless America’ because when they see their flag, they are inspired. But what about us?,” he queried.

He said randomly in a school if a question was asked of the colours of the Ghana flag, the student had to purse and think before answering and “as for the National Anthem, we have forgotten the words because we are not inspired to live for our country.”

Dr Amponsah, who is also a Lecturer at the Department of Adult Education & Human Resource Studies of the University of Ghana, expressed concern that civic education and issues surrounding morality had been expunged from the curriculum at the basic level.

All not about money

Dr Amponsah said the desire of everybody, especially the youth, was to make money, recalling how an undergraduate student relished leaving school early to join politics to also make money.

He said in most of his classes from the undergraduate to the master’s level at the university, his students did not appreciate his philosophy of a civic call and responsibility.

“Don’t we think that if our curricula has aspects of these from the lower level, at least we cannot get 100 per cent, some of us will grow up knowing that this is a civic call, this is a responsibility?,” he asked.