MS. ADDY ADDRESSES GIMPA LAW STUDENTS DURING THE GIMPA LAW THEORY AND PRACTICE SEMINAR SERIES

The Chairman of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Ms. Kathleen Addy was the guest lecturer at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Faculty of Law on the topic, “The Constitution and the NCCE: The role of the Constitutional Law Student”.

Other participants included Dr. Justice Srem-Sai, (a Law Lecturer, and the host), Dr. Kwaku Adjeman Budu (the Dean of Students), staff of NCCE, the media, and law students of the Institute.

Ms. Addy spoke on the topic, “The Determination of Civic Educators of NCCE to reach every nook and cranny of the Country”. She addressed the audience explaining the need for them to move away from the teacher-centred approach to handling practical situations on the ground. She discussed the mandate and functions of the NCCE, the flagship programmes, and thematic areas. She stated that the NCCE is an independent, non-partisan governance institution established under Article 233 of the 1992 Constitution and by Act 1993, 452 of the Parliament of Ghana.

Ms. Addy touched on Constitutional Reforms, the Constitutional Review Commission, and the role NCCE plays in this regard. She said, “Nobody is born a good citizen, carrying a flag or loving a country”. Good governance has to be built. She appealed to participants to partner with the Commission to bring back the “Omanbapa” television series introduced by the Commission to sensitize citizens on the values of patriotism, unity and peaceful coexistence. This, she said, would promote civic consciousness among citizens. She quipped that “a democracy is not a perfect system; someone should show me one”. “We’re trying to get to the point where doing the right thing becomes normal”, she explained. It was her hope that the knowledge shared will inspire students to become civic champions and to help spread civic education throughout the country.

The interactive session was opened with a question from Dr. Srem-Sai on the position of the NCCE in the current economic crisis in the country. Ms. Addy responded by saying that democracy is not a smooth ride. It has to be built and sustained by the people, and who better represents the people than the Members of Parliament?

The Chairman urged all participants to deliberate on giving back to society in terms of, not only providing legal services but organizing educational programmes or campaigns for citizens under their jurisdiction and take action on other related issues.

Other questions included what it takes to create civic awareness, how the NCCE is evaluated in terms of measuring performance since the Commission is independent, what provisions the Commission has with regard to women, breaking the language barrier, proposed amendments for Constitutional reforms, and what the Commission needs to be more efficient in delivering civic education to citizens.

In response to these questions, Ms. Addy expounded that the work of the NCCE is evaluated by Parliament and that the Commission engages identifiable groups. She also mentioned that NCCE has offices in all the districts in the country and that at least two (2) staff of every district speak the language spoken in that vicinity. She also emphasized the need for all stakeholders to partner and collaborate with the Commission in order to reach all citizens.

Dr. Srem-Sai and all students were excited about forming a Civic Education Club (CEC) in the Institution. This followed the presentation of a plague to Ms. Kathy Addy, and the vote of thanks by Ms. Zulaiha Dobia Abdullah, a student of the Institute.