The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Coordinator for the National Disaster and Management Organization (NADMO), Mr James Obeng has called on the Ghana Education Service to introduce safety education in the curriculum to improve the level of knowledge and awareness on safety among citizens to reduce the increasing cases of kidnap and other safety-related incidents in the country.
According to him, many children in the Metropolis lack the basic knowledge in safety to either sense or detect danger in their environment in addition to the skills to avert an impending danger when they are confronted with one.
He also lamented on the increasing cases of kidnaps in the Metropolis as well as numerous accidents which could be averted if citizens had basic knowledge in safety.
Speaking on the sideline of the International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) at the Teachers Resource Center in Sekondi, Mr Obeng called on the Ghana Education Service to consider introducing safety in the Curriculum to create safety awareness among citizens to avert kidnaps and other safety-related incidents.
He was speaking to Spice hub.
“From my research, no one can buy security. Per our experience in Sekondi-Takoradi, and the whole of Ghana, a lot of people lack knowledge in safety. The kidnaps and many accidents we have experienced could be averted in the Metropolis if victims had safety backgrounds. I believe safety should be introduced as a nonscoring course that will be thought at all levels of the educational system to prepare citizens for all forms of dangers or threats in real life”, he said.
Mr Obeng also lamented on the worrying situation in the Metropolis where children lack basic knowledge in practical safety in their household and on the streets.
He observed that safety education can easily correct such a deficiency for effective protection of children.
“It’s a worrying situation where children can misplace their belongings in a commercial car yet they cannot recognize either the car’s registration number or color of the vehicle. I don’t think that should be a challenge for them, also children should know when to pass through the rains and when to sense a danger, when a gas is on, children must recognize that using a phone around it is not advisable, further more when someone knocks at your door, the child has to allow the adult to open”, he stressed.
This, he believes when taught can reduce the numerous incidents of kidnaps and avoidable accidents.
Sekondi-Takoradi in the last two years has experienced a couple of kidnap cases including the three Takoradi Kidnap girls as well the recent incident involving an alleged pregnant woman, Josephine Panyin Mensah Simon whose case is currently been adjudicated at the Takoradi Circuit Court A.
The event was attended by representatives from the MTTD, National Road Safety Authority, Ghana Police, Ghana Fire Service, Ghana Naval Command, Red Cross, Ghana Educations Service, Red Cross society, Environmental Protection Agency among others.
