Mrs Josephine Okoto, President of the Chattered Institute of Marketing of Ghana, has stressed the need for schools to draw a systematic programme that would help boost the morale of girls and transform their low self-esteem into positive attitudes.
Speaking at the 63rd Anniversary Speech and Prize ceremony of the Holy Child High School, at Cape Coast, Mrs Okoto said the government should continue to offer the needed attention to girl-child education because women could impact positively on the national development agenda of the country, if given the necessary support.
The theme for the anniversary was, "Harnessing the potentials of the Girl-Child for National Development."
Mrs Okoto appealed to all stakeholders to ensure that traditional practices such as forced marriages and female genital mutilation that were inimical to the wellbeing of girls and generate inferiority complex among them, were discouraged.
She urged the students to take their academic work seriously and "make the sky their limit" adding that, role models like Justice Banford Addo, the Speaker of Parliament and Justice Mrs Georgina Wood, the Chief Justice, should inspire them to "dream big" and remain focused to attain higher positions in future.
Mrs Veronica Mintaah Nyarko, headmistress of the School, congratulated members of staff and students for their hard work and excellent performance which enabled the school to score 100 per cent success in the 2007/2008 West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and competitions like sports and quizzes.
She also expressed gratitude to the Holy Child Past Students Association for supporting the school with projects and other numerous gestures.
Deserving students and staff members were presented with scholarships, certificates and other special awards for their outstanding performances in academic and extra curricula activities.
Maame Efua Otua Ofori, a final-year-student emerged the over all best student, taking almost all the awards in her class.
She was presented with books and certificates.