Prof. Kwesi Yankah calls for political tolerance

Professor Kwesi Yankah, former Minister of State In-charge of Tertiary Education, has called on politicians to demonstrate a high level of tolerance to ensure that there is always peace in the country.He said Ghanaians cherished politicians desire to serve their country but then 'we should know that Ghana is for all of us.'Prof Yankah said: 'In the spirit of peace, politicians should understand that there is only one Ghana and that elections are meant to choose leaders, it must not be an avenue for conflict and bloodshed rather comportment and civility must be the guiding principles in our campaigns.'Professor Yankah made the call at the graduation of 47 students of the Christland Community School, at Achimota. in Accra.The graduation was held on the theme: 'Fostering Peaceful Elections; A Thriving Tool for a Strategic Quality Education.'Prof. Yankah said as the country prepared for the December polls all must resolve to eschew tendencies that could comprise the peace of the country before, during a nd after the elections.He stressed the need for Ghanaians to reflect on the extreme partisanship that had resulted in the polarisation of the nation and contribute to eschewing such tendencies in order not to compromise the peace.Prof.Yankah urged political parties and their followers to avoid intemperate and abusive language in their electioneering campaign since such may jeopardize the peace being called for by al Ghanaians.He appealed to the youth to resist the temptation of being used by disgruntled politicians to foment trouble since they would not be spared when caught.Mr. Kwesi Tarko Junior, Founder and Executive Director of the school, said the educational philosophy behind the school programme was premised on four pillars such as care, hope, responsibility, integrity, sensitivity and trust which was centered on deep-rooted Christian values and principles.He said physical or corporal punishment in the school was non-existent; however, the school employs discipline that includes withdrawal of rewards and incentives for the child and pinpointing the dos and don'ts to the child by examples.'In today's fast-paced technology driven society, teaching children manners is something that is more crucial than ever,' Mr Tanko Junior said.He added: 'One of the most important jobs we have as parents is to help our children develop social skills, show them how to interact in a polite manner with people and teach them to treat others with respect.'Students who excelled during the year were awarded certificates.Source: Ghana News Agency