Students of the Bolgatanga Technical University on Friday, June 30, 2023, as part of ongoing efforts to sensitize many communities and youth on violent extremism, were engaged by the National Commission for Civic Education.
The essence of the engagement is to help the students understand why they must refrain from being exploited to cause mayhem to themselves and the country at large by involving themselves with violent extremists.
According to the NCCE, students and tertiary institutions remain a target for recruitment and possible attacks by violent extremists hence the tertiary-level sensitization on violent extremism.
With support from the European Union (EU), the NCCE has engaged five tertiary institutions in the Upper East Region including CK Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences, St John Bosco’s College of Education, Midwifery Training College, Bolgatanga and Gbewaa College of Education with the latest being Bolgatanga Technical University.
Speaking to Dreamz News, on the sidelines of the engagement, the Upper East Region Director of the NCCE, Mawuli Agbenu, said his outfit finds it prudent to engage the students to form some resilience against violent extremism.
He added that the youth are daring, have big dreams and these leave them gullible and this in his view has been compounded by the high unemployment rate which could make them to be lured easily.
With the sensitization, it is his hope that the students will be in the right place to serve as influencers and informants who will assist the various security agencies with information early.
“The sensitization session for tertiary level students is part of the preventing and controlling violent extremism program that the NCCE has rolled out with support from the European Union. And the whole thing is that we know that violent extremists have a particular liking for the youth especially, intelligent and educated youth because they recruit them to carry out their activities. So as an institution, we think it is wise to talk to students at the tertiary level so that they will be able to create some resilience to make sure they are not radicalized.
So, the responsibility of the students is to serve as influencers and talk to other students and youth in their communities, and for us, we want to preach national cohesion and peaceful coexistence.” He stated.
The students expressed gratitude to the commission for the engagement as they pledge to support efforts to ward off possible activities of extremists.
