President John Dramani Mahama has called for the introduction of a special curriculum in Ghana’s basic and secondary schools to teach discipline, courtesy, and responsible citizenship from an early age. He made the appeal during the relaunch of National Sanitation Day at the Institute of Local Government Studies in Accra on Saturday.
Speaking at the event, President Mahama emphasized that Ghana must preserve its traditional values of cleanliness even as the country modernizes. He recounted how, in his childhood, sweeping compounds and keeping surroundings clean was a communal duty taught by parents, comparing the practice to how children in Japan and Singapore are trained to uphold cleanliness as part of their daily routine.
“Every society has values, and in all societies, one most important value is the value of cleanliness. You cannot be a godly person if you live in filth,” he said.
The President noted that subjects like Civics and books such as Courtesy for Boys and Girls had previously helped instill respect, hygiene, and responsibility in children. He added that the decline of such training has contributed to poor sanitation and a lack of discipline in society.
He disclosed that discussions are ongoing with the Ministry of Education to create a separate curriculum focused on courtesy and responsible citizenship, which would run from basic school through secondary school. According to him, this initiative is essential for shaping future leaders who respect cleanliness and civic responsibility.
Citing international examples, President Mahama highlighted how children in countries like Japan are trained from an early age to adopt cleanliness as a lifelong value, saying, “The beautiful thing is, they are trained from when they are children to believe in that value.
And so, when they grow, they don’t depart from it.” He concluded that embedding such lessons into Ghana’s education system would help nurture a disciplined, civic-minded generation and sustain a culture of cleanliness and order in communities.
