We prefer Galamsey to school - Western Region students

Some students in Tarkwa, Bogoso, Prestea, and Bordie, communities in the Western Region have refused to go back to school.

These students say after the lockdown was announced and schools were closed, they resorted to galamsey activities because that was the only source of livelihood in the communities.

Rainbow Radio’s reporter Akukua Mpanyinsem reporting on Nyankonton Mu Nsem indicated that the students, including tertiary students, have decided to keep doing the galamsey activities.

Some of them told him they planned to gather some money to help them pay for their fees and books.

But the activities they say are lucrative hence they have decided to keep doing it.

Meanwhile, one of the students, 15 years, who is pregnant says she is no longer interested in going back to school.

She said she got pregnant because she was in need and the boy who offered to help her demanded sex.

According to her, she discovered she was pregnant and has decided to keep the baby.

When asked if she would go back to school should the mother decide to raise the baby, she said no, insisting she would not be able to study as her attention would be on the baby.

President Akufo-Addo in his last State of the Nation Address before the Dissolution of Parliament called for a national dialogue towards the fight against galamsey.

He was disturbed about the destruction of our water bodies and the dangers to the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL).

There is one subject about which I believe we, the people, need to have an open conversation, and that is galamsey. Should we allow or should we not allow galamsey, the illegal mining that leads to the pollution of our water bodies and the devastation of our landscape? As I have said often, the Almighty having blessed us with considerable deposits of precious minerals, there would always be mining in Ghana.

Indeed, there has always been mining in Ghana. The problem we have is the use of modern technology that leads to the illegal mining methods posing serious dangers to our water bodies and the health of our environment. The pollution of our rivers and water resources has been so acute on the occasion that the Ghana Water Company is unable to afford the distilling of water to make for safe drinking. We have to talk about galamsey. We, who are leaders, owe it to the country to take the subject out of the party-political arena and have an honest conversation about this menace to our future.