‘Resourcing NCCE prerequisite for citizenry to observe pandemic protocols’

 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have urged the government to resource the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to enable the commission to effectively and efficiently educate and sensitise the citizenry on the coronavirus pandemic.

“A key prerequisite for the citizenry to observe hygienic and safety protocols to prevent coronavirus (COVID-19) is public education and sensitisation, hence, the need to resource the NCCE to that effect.

“The NCCE has stated that due to inadequate funds, it allotted only GH₵100 to its districts offices to help educate and sensitise the citizenry on COVID-19,” it said.

In a joint statement issued in Accra, it said after hearing the news, it undertook an independent check to ascertain financial and logistical state of commission and discovered it was under-resourced despite its critical role in public education and sensitisation.

 The statement observed that as at April this year, the commission has not received any amount from its 2020 budgetary allocation, hardly received its total budgetary allocation since 2009, lacked basic tools and equipment such as public address systems, for effective and efficient advocacy, public education and sensitisation.

“The commission relies on rickety vehicles that hardly enable mobility, newest vehicles are eight years old, chairman of commission has no official car since her appointment in 2015, total staff of the commission in 2007 is less than its current staff in 2020, although population of the country has increased since then with more regions and districts.

 “The socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on our nation can be devastating,  appropriate citizenry behaviour is most potent arsenal in fight against COVID-19, the public need to adhere to necessary safety protocols, as well as other policies and precautionary measures announced by the government.

“The precautionary measures announced by the government require effective, efficient persistent education and sensitisation in order to elicit compliance from the citizenry since there is no public institution better placed to do such public education and sensitisation than the commission which is mandated by Chapter 19 of our 1992 Constitution to inculcate in the citizenry, awareness of our rights and obligations, through civic education and sensitisation.

“While we applaud efforts and precautionary measures implemented by the government to tackle the pandemic, we are asking the government to retool the commission with necessary funds and logistics to enable it play critical role of national public education and sensitisation on COVID-19,” the statement said. -classfmonline.com