NADSU NATIONAL PRESIDENT ADDRESSED YOUTH ASSEMBLY AT SOMBO

NADSU PRESIDENT ADDRESSED YOUTH ASSEMBLY AT SOMBO IN THE UPPER WEST REGION.

The president of the Nadowli District Students of the Upper West Region, Master Claudius Banangmwine Angsongna inspired the youth in the district in this year's handover ceremony held at Sombo on 23th July, 2017.
The program was well patronized as of brought many youth groups across the district. The president used the opportunity to recount the brief history of the Union and enumerated some achievements under his regime as well.
While admonishing the youth to be responsible, he called on stakeholders to institute an educational fund to improve education in the district, a district which still had a myriad of educational impediments.
The president spoke comprehensively on several subject matters and many were inspired.
Below is the full speech delivered by the Union President.

"A SPEECH DELIVERED BY CLAUDIUS BANANGMWINE ANGSONGNA  THE NATIONAL PRESIDENT OF NADSU  FOLLOWING THE HANDING OVER CEREMONEY ON THE SUNDAY 23RD JULY, 2017 AT SOMBO R/C PRIMARY SCHOOL

Mr. Chairman, Hon. Member of Parliament, Hon. District Chief Executives, Director of Education, Lecturers, Heads of our S. H. S.s/JHSs, and their Respective Staffs, Colleague Students, Fellow Members of the Nadowli-Kaleo District Students Union (NADSU), Illustrious Sons & Daughters of our Districts, my dear fellow Students, All Protocols duly Observed, Ladies and Gentlemen. I must admit sincerely that am most grateful for this moment observed by NADSU which marks the climax of events carried out by the union over the past two years. This is the handing over ceremony and your humble presence here today alone speaks volumes of the prospects and future of NADSU and the district at large. I must say on behalf of the Patron, the leadership, and the entire membership of the union that we do sincerely and deeply owe you a great deal of gratitude for the honour done us by accepting our invitation against other equally important schedules you might have had for the day. Mr. Chairman, I must also wholeheartedly acknowledge the fact that it is indeed a privilege to give an address on this august occasion, which entails a spectrum of events carried out by my office in the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 NADSU Years. On behalf of the national executives and all NADSU members, I gladly welcome you all to this great event.

 Mr. Chairman today is one of the great days we ought to again appreciate the good works of NADSU, since its inception as a union to date and the way forward.  This union was formed way back in 1980s and it was known as Nadowli Area Students Union with Hon. Alban S K Bagbin as president, Emmanuel Zumakpeh as Vice, Dr. Daniel Bagah (Secretary), Dr. Robert Yenaah (Financial Secretary), Madam Cecelia (Treasurer), Dr. Benjamin Kankpeyeng as organizer and Hon. James Asamang as the Petron.

Unfortunately, the union could not live up to expectation and few years after its formation it went shambolic and collapsed abruptly. However, with the conviction that students form an integral part of the growth and development of the district, a group of energetic and exuberant students put ideas together and revived the union in 2002. These passionate and goal-achieving students included; Hon. Bernard Mornaah as president; Cletus Baalongbuoro as organizer; Ms. Vera what as secretary. Others were.  Mr. Batholomew and Mr. Michael Kombo. These people brought ideas which were centered on the growth and development of the district and the wellbeing of students. Thus, the union on the September 9, 2002 was constitutionally structured and branded a logo with a book and torchlight and it was then known as Nadowli District Students Union, now Nadowli/Kaleo District Students Union. No wonder these symbolic features depicted the motto:  Knowledge for Development. Mr. Chairman, knowing very well that the student body has a course to facilitate, promote and contribute towards the attainment and maintenance of excellence in education, morale, general welfare of members, and the future growth and development of the district(s), various   activities have always been organized annually since its inception and this year is not different.

 Mr. Chairman, NADSU aims at organizing lectures, workshops, debates, symposia, voluntary teaching and social activities in the general interest of students and the district as a whole, to help contribute in diverse ways to the development of the Districts. Since its reformation, the union has undertaken activities towards the development of the then Nadowli District. Some of these included: long vacation teaching program which is organized yearly (May-July) for the basic/senior high/technical/vocational schools in the district; the union have made donations of ICT equipment such as computers to basic schools; organized quizzes for JHS/SHSs and technical/vocational schools; workshops for PTA and Head teachers on how to retain the girl child in school; symposia to showcase the districts prospects, challenges and way forward; community forum to promote peace, unity and development and many more including radio talks.

Mr. Chairman, my tenure is much delighted to have organized this 13th   annual congress which saw the organization of quiz competition among selected JHSs representing their circuits and among the SHSs in the district; vacation voluntary teaching program. NADSU has made some donations of printers, text books, wall clocks and among others to both JHSs and SHSs in the district over the years as well as this year. Also, the union organized a motivational and encouragement tour to the SHSs in the district which aimed at educating the students on how to get to tertiary institutions to study their preferred programs. Other activities included unity football games for both SHSs and the communities in the district, health talk, radio programs, and community forum to maintain peace and among others.

Moreover, Mr Chairman, it is very important to note that this crop of executives in my tenure, has founded a senior high school in the district-Sombo Senior High School. This noble idea was initiated by the national president (Mr Claudius Banangmwine Angsongna) who worked tirelessly with the other executives to make this dream a reality. Ladies and gentlemen, I think this project is heartwarming, magnificent and really ground breaking. I hope and pray the incoming executives initiate and execute greater projects than this. The school is currently run as a private SHS and funded by the natives of Sombo and the MP for Nadowli/Kaleo constituency Hon. Alban S K Bagbin.

Mr. Chairman, Teachers who came along with their students for the quiz competitions clearly could testify areas in the course outline which were adequately taught, brushed through or not at all. The questions ranged from Mathematics; English Language; Integrated Science & Social Studies/ General Knowledge and ICT but almost all the schools complained of not having ICT facilities and not having subject teachers in most of the schools. By this, Mr. Chairman, teachers were indirectly well-informed to see the need to always adequately prepare their pupils ahead for all competitions, most importantly the BECE and WASSCE. Mr. Chairman, this same quiz was organized for the SHSs in the district of which Queen of peace senior high school emerged as winners. Embarrassingly, no school managed to answer a question during the mathematics round. This means there is an urgent need to place emphasis on teaching of mathematics in these schools.

 Mr. Chairman, the key players to the growth and development of the district need to take stringent measures at addressing the teacher staffing setbacks. We are earnestly hoping sooner than later, all rural communities will be completely powered by electricity and our roads upgraded to better classes especially that of the Charikpong road, Sankana-Takpo road, Chaang-kanyini road, kanyini Guree road, Papu- Sanka road, Kaleo-Ombo-Tibani and among others. This would motivate teaching and learning and as well make it easier for teachers to stay or safely commute to rural areas to teach.

Mr Chairman, I will also like to mention that our culture and tradition is depreciating in values. Here is a generation who knows absolutely nothing about our way of life and has no interest in learning but develops much interest in other modern unnecessary activities such as betting, the azonto dance, and among others. These activities do not add anything very useful to our lives. Gone are the days where our parents used to court for reasonable numbers of years before marriage, but what are we not seeing today? You will only know your son in-law or daughter in-law when a lady gets pregnant and that automatic seals it as a marriage. What a generation of moral decadence! Pupils and Students in junior and senior schools respectively engage in various criminal acts while others willingly or unwillingly engage in sexual affairs with their colleagues or teachers. This, in no uncertain terms dampens their academic performance and progress. Mr. Chairman what measures are we putting in place as parents, heads of institutions, chiefs and elders and stakeholders to eradicate these dubious, heinous and indecent practices in our communities and in our schools?

Mr Chairman, I will use this opportunity advice my younger brothers and sisters present from the JHS and SHSs to take their education serious, respect their parents, embrace our culture and tradition and ignore the love for money. Most students drop out of school because of money just for fashion and at the end, most of them become jobless and useless in the society. My dear brothers and sisters, God timing is the best, there is no success without struggle so you must endure.

Mr Chairman, as promised by our president H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo, free SHS will start coming this September, 2017. I therefore entreat my younger ones in the JHSs to learn hard and benefit from the national cake. We pray and hope that it should not just be free alone but it should be free and of quality.  In this case, there will be no excuse for any JHS graduate to drop out of school. To the SHSs graduates, do not complete and jump into galamsey, there are lot of private schools which need teachers, shops and others which need you to be employed. Working with shops/supermarket or teaching refreshes your brain for further studies.

 Mr Chairman, I will also entreat that, the district should establish an educational fund to support the brilliant but needy SHSs graduates to read their desired programs at the tertiary level. Over the past years, most students from our district complained of poor or no support from the district in terms of sponsorship for further education. On behalf of all students in the district, I plead that the district should do well and provide sponsorship for at least five students each year. These same students will come back to serve the district and sponsor others as well, let us take it serious.

Mr. Chairman, the core values of NADSU include: Excellence, Teamwork, Discipline and Commitment to duty. My words of encouragement to all NADSU members especially the incoming executives, students of our district .is to have these values in mind, be devotional and prayerful in all your dealings to enable you live up to and beyond the legacy we are leaving behind.

Mr. Chairman, all invitees, Ladies and Gentlemen, education is regarded the bedrock to the growth and development of any under developed, developing, and developed nation all over the world. We need to make conscious efforts to enrich our educational system as a district and as a nation. I know for sure much has been done in this sense and some are still underway, yet it is not enough. Rally your support behind NADSU and you are assured of the difference because our drop of effort is absolutely and undoubtedly enormous.

Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, on this note I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude again to all senior NADSU members, our very supportive patron, my co executives and most importantly all NADSU members in all the institutions for their support over the two NADSU years. Without your support and cooperation, we could not have achieved anything. Your support and cooperation, your criticism-both constructive and destructive were very useful and helpful in our duties and we very much appreciate everything.

 Ladies and gentlemen, no one is without mistakes or faults; so, I and my executives might have done certain things wrong or unknowingly offended some members in the course of dispensing our duties. Lets take such mistakes as learning curves for all of us; never was it our intention to do anything wrong. To the incoming executives, I, my executives and all NADSU members wish you very well in your tenure. We hope and pray that you do greater things than what we have done.

Long live Nadowli/Kaleo District.

 Long live NADSU.

 Long live the student front!

Thank you everyoneBarika"