The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) urged secondary school students in Sefwi Wiawso to lead the fight against corruption during sessions held on May 29.
The Commission ran the engagements at Sefwi Wiawso Senior High School and Sefwi Wiawso Secondary Technical School in the Western North Region. They followed April visits to Asawinso Senior High School and St. Benedict Senior High School in the same municipality.
Municipal NCCE Director Laud Swanzy, who led the sessions, told students that corruption is not confined to government offices but shows up in everyday choices, from grading papers on favour to misusing school resources. “Integrity begins with individual choices and everyday actions,” he said.
The talks covered ethical leadership, conflict of interest, influence peddling, public accountability, and the rule of law. Swanzy gave prefects, house captains, and club executives particular responsibility, arguing that their peer authority helps decide whether dishonesty takes root.
Students were urged to reject dishonest practices, protect public resources, and report wrongdoing rather than stay silent. The Commission also named whistleblower protection, the digitisation of public services, and active citizen participation as tools against graft.
The visits fall under the Participation, Accountability and Integrity for a Resilient Democracy (PAIReD) Programme, a governance initiative commissioned by the German government, with financing also from the European Union (EU) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.
The German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) runs the programme alongside Ghana’s Ministry of Finance, while the NCCE leads delivery in municipalities such as Sefwi Wiawso. Organisers hope the students will become civic advocates who carry the message into homes, classrooms, and social media.
