The Pro Vice Chancellor of Takoradi Technical University, Prof. Victor Kweku Bonzie Micah, has encouraged girls to strive to get to the top at wherever they may find themselves as there is no limit to their progression. Speaking at an event organized by TTU’s Centre for Gender and Advocacy, CEGENDA, in collaboration with the TTU Chapter of Women in Technical Education and Development, WITED, to mark this year’s International Day of the Girl Child, Prof. Micah said today’s women have every opportunity just like their counterparts men to get to the top of their professions. He said such examples of achievements by women abounds, therefore challenged females students and staff of TTU who attended the event to learn from those.

“Fortunately or unfortunately in recent time, even if you want to sweep, you have to be educated. If you want to be a janitor, you have to be educated. Unlike those times where whatever who you are, you could be employed to work somewhere. So i urge you to focus on your education, have target in life and the zeal to get to the top, because now women are all getting to the top. When you go to KNUST, a woman is their Vice Chancellor, when you go to LEGON, a woman is their Vice Chancellor and when you come to our university, we currently have a woman as SRC President. It’s unprecedented and we have a lot of Engineers as well as a lot of Doctors here who are women. Why don’t you want to get to that point? Do you want to truncate your progress at that level?” he noted.

Speaking on the theme for the International Day of the Girl Child; ‘Our time is now-our rights, our future’, the Director for the Centre for Gender and Advocacy, Dr. Gladys Quartey said the celebration of the day is important for girls to develop the right attitude to take advantage of the the opportunities available to them.

“International Day of the Girl Child empowers girls to change their mindsets that they can’t make it…The adolescence is a critical point in everyone’s life. This is a very critical stage where you are learning, unlearning and trying to find your identity and what you want to do. It determines what your life will be which is why caring for girls in their youths benefits all. If they are empowered at a vulnerable age, they can mature into liberated, wise women in the future. As a society, we all win, all the initiatives taken to nurture girls have been a direct consequence of spreading awareness in the society…We are young and we are growing. We have the power, and potential of adolescent girls. Brain processing power peaks at 18. So, this is the time you can LEARN. It is our time to make a difference. Our right to education, our right to grow well, our right to be responsible people for our families, our community and our nation…We need to make use of the opportunities we have now. Learn and aspire high in life. It should be known that an educated and skilled woman is far more effective in preventing infant mortality, is proven to take care of the house more sophisticatedly, and hence contribute more to society than an uneducated, unskilled, socially abused woman”, she advised.

On her part, the President of the TTU Chapter of Women in Technical Education, Dr. Eudora Hagan, advised participants to be guided by their passion while making career choice as girls.

“Remember, it is one thing identifying your passion and another thing pursuing. If you are lazy you cannot do it. It takes hard work, it takes diligence to realize the dream of becoming an engineer, a Doctor, or a lecturer. You have to discover who you are and be focused. You have to come out of your shell and shine as girls. You have to dream big. One thing you can also do is to write down all the things you are passionate about, things that you are very good at and focus on those areas and achieve them”, she suggested.

Olivia Asare who is a Senior Assistant Registrar at the Office of the Pro Vice Chancellor also encouraged girls to take to volunteerism to avoid idleness which is a potential period of temptation for the girl child.

International Day of the girl child is an annual and internationally recognized Day on October 11th that empowers girls and amplifies their voices. Since 19th December 2011, this day which came into being as a result of a UN General Assembly resolution, has been celebrated as an “International Day of the Girl Child” or just “International Girls Day” to honor the girl child.