Mr Emmanuel Adzei Anang, a Member of the Council of State, has warned parents against investing in misplaced priorities that would undermine the spending on their children's education.
"Society would never forgive you if you shirk your responsibility of educating your children," he stated. "So, desist from spending lavishly on social activities like funerals and invest those monies in the education of the children."
Mr Anang gave the warning at an Awards Ceremony, for about 200 children, of five basic schools, who excelled in a reading competition.
The awardees are from Aboma Presby Middle; Anglican Middle; Jordan Methodist Middle; Camp Two Middle and Dar- es- Salam Middle all in Teshie.
Organized by Read For Wealth, a non-governmental organization, that seeks to encourage reading among school children and the youth in general, the competition also recognized the immense contribution of parents, and gave special awards to about 20 of them.
Mr Anang stressed the need to handle carefully today's children who would be tomorrow's leaders, adding that by so doing, "Ghana will have absolute hope for the future."
The Member of the Council of State, a native of Teshie, bemoaned the falling standards of education in public schools in the area, and blamed it on indiscipline among pupils, and their passion for outings instead of using their leisure hours for studies.
He reminded school children that one of the surest ways to acquire knowledge was to develop the reading habit.
The Council of State Member urged them to take their education seriously so that the investment made by their parents would not go to waste.
Nii Nortey Dua, Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports and Member of Parliament for Ledzokuku, said as his contribution towards education, he
planned of putting up a library complex in the Constituency to enable the constituents acquire the habit of reading.
Nii Dua said to this end, he had set aside GHC30,000 to kick-start the project early next year.
Mr Richard Asante, Chief Executive Officer of Read For Wealth, observed that the key to successful life in this 21st century was through the acquisition of knowledge, through education.
Mr Hayford Dwumah Tannor, Director of Projects at Read For Wealth, said that the competition had been organized in the Jaman, Berekum and Kwaebibrem districts, and would be presently, extended to cover all the districts in
the country.
Mr Tannor said a total of 3,000 books, other stationery, wax prints, and school bags, valued at GHC4,000 were distributed to the awardees, and lauded the sponsors of the programme which include Aquafresh Ghana Limited,
Printex, Voltic Ghana Limited and Healthi-Life Ghana Limited, for their generosity.