Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education, has reiterated the Government’s commitment to enforce the gaming laws to protect children.
He said the Ministry of Education was collaborating with the Gaming Commission, the Gaming industry, and the Ministry for the Interior to protect children from the harmful impact of gambling.
This move had become necessary due to the increasing rates at which children were engaging in sports betting and other forms of gambling, which had resulted in high levels of truancy and lack of concentration among students in the country.
Dr Adutwum was delivering an address at the 9th Baraka Policy Institute (BPI) Annual Public Lectures in Accra.
The 2023 edition was on the theme: “Towards achieving the SDGs on Education: Tackling social-economic forces against progress in Ghana.”
Speaking on the topic: “Tackling the dangers of Sports Betting on Education—Policies, Strategies and Actions,” Dr Adutwum emphasised that children were not supposed to engage in gambling because it would destroy their lives.
“You turn to betting and things that are not expected of you, you become addicted, you don’t get the opportunity to become an important person,” the Minister told student participants at the lecture.
He added: “Betting is going to consume your time, it will consume your emotion, your mind—everything will be taken away from you. You will not be the kind of person God created you to be—because betting has a way of destroying you.”
Dr Adutwum noted that while the Government and other institutions tackled the policy and regulatory measures, children also needed to help themselves by taking charge of their own lives.
“You need to support yourselves as young people. Don’t fall for things that make you think that you can become rich quickly.”
“Education is what will make you rich. Focus on it. Do what is right. Stay away from anything that will distract you. Your future is in your hands. Work hard and run away from betting.”
Dr Adutwum acknowledged the great efforts that the BPI was making to reduce the impact of gambling on children’s education.
He said the Education Ministry would continue to collaborate with the BPI to implement measures that would ensure that children’s involvement in gambling became a thing of the past.
Naa Alhassan Andani, Board Chairman for BPI, said education remained central to the attainment of all the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In that light, he said it was essential to address the issues related to sports betting and their impact on educational achievements.
Participants came from various senior high and tertiary institutions, faith-based and civil society organisations, government institutions, the private sector, security and law enforcement agencies, media, among others.
Started in 2015, the BPI Annual Public Lectures are designed to provoke reflections on critical issues of national concern, particularly on education.
The Baraka Policy Institute is a Think Tank with special focus on the promotion of social justice and national development through advocacy and research.
GNA