The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) has challenged students in the Upper East Region to make honesty and ethical conduct part of their daily lives as part of efforts to build a more accountable Ghana.
The Coalition said the fight against corruption must begin with individuals making the right choices, particularly when there is no one watching.
The call was made by the GACC’s Upper East Regional Focal Person, Emmanuel Anafo, during anti-corruption engagements at Navrongo Senior High School in the Kassena-Nankana Municipality and Kongo Senior High School in the Nabdam District.
The programme was organised in collaboration with TradeAID Integrated and supported by the Hewlett Foundation to mark the African Union Anti-Corruption Day.
It was held on the theme: “Scaling Up the Promotion of Integrity and Anti-Corruption Actions Across Africa.”
Mr Anafo urged the students to become ambassadors of integrity by rejecting corrupt practices and reporting wrongdoing to the appropriate authorities.
He said corruption thrives when people choose to remain silent and encouraged the students to speak up against wrongdoing.
According to him, reports of corruption could be made to the Police, traditional authorities, teachers and other relevant state institutions.
Mr Anafo described integrity as the willingness to do what is right even when there is no external supervision.
He said the country’s natural resources had not translated into the desired level of development partly because public resources continued to be lost through corruption.
He also warned students against examination malpractice, describing cheating as an early form of dishonesty that could contribute to a wider culture of corruption.
The GACC official urged students to write their examinations honestly and ensure that the grades they earned reflected their own efforts.
“We do not want you to leave school with results that you cannot be proud of. We don’t want you to obtain scores on your report card that are not truly yours,” he said.
He further challenged the students to maintain integrity during their upcoming examinations, whether or not invigilators were present.
School authorities expressed appreciation to the GACC and its partners for the initiative, saying the engagements would help shape students into responsible and ethical citizens.
