New Year School Calls for National Talent Hunt to Identify Skills

Accra: Participants in the 77th New Year School and Conference have urged the Ministry of Education to launch a national talent hunt programme across schools to identify budding skills in leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The programme is seen as a way to nurture human capital to build the 'Ghana we want' and provide a platform for structured mentorship and training. According to Ghana News Agency, a communique issued by Professor Simon-Peter Kafui Aheto, Director of the 77th Annual New Year School and Conference, highlighted these recommendations. The conference, themed 'Building the Ghana We Want Together for Sustainable Development,' emphasized the importance of harnessing youth entrepreneurship by providing requisite funding, technical training, regulatory compliance, and logistical support. The conference also addressed the potential of social enterprises as alternative sources for job creation and economic opportunities, urging their encouragement to effectively tackle unemployment. To boo st Ghanaian sports, the conference called for the reinstatement of inter-school sports competitions, integration of physical education in academic calendars, and investments in modern sports facilities at community and school levels. A recommendation was made for the establishment of an independent sports ethics committee to oversee governance and eliminate corruption within the sports administration. Additionally, the integration of health education into school curricula from early childhood was suggested, focusing on nutrition, hygiene, and preventive healthcare. Community-based health campaigns were proposed to promote public health. The communique underscored the need to address corruption, reduce it, and enhance public trust through openness, data transparency, and public engagement. It called for the prosecution of leaders violating laws to reinforce trust in governance, emphasizing that justice in democracy requires adhering to the rule of law and fair administration of justice.