The National Council of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) has accepted the apology offered by the Member of Parliament for Ahafo Ano South East, Yakubu Mohammed, following his controversial comments to a primary school pupil during a visit to Parliament.
Speaking to Atinka News’ Asomani Regina, the Deputy Public Relations Officer of the National PTA, Irene Sam, said the Association believes the MP did not intend to cause harm and was only joking. However, she stressed that such remarks should never be made to children.
According to her, public officials and adults must be careful with the words they use when interacting with children because such comments can easily be misunderstood or make children uncomfortable.
Mrs. Sam said the MP’s apology was sincere and should be accepted, adding that she hopes the incident serves as a lesson to everyone.
Her comments follow a public apology by Mr. Mohammed after a video of him speaking to a schoolgirl went viral on social media.
In the video, the MP complimented the pupil’s appearance and said, “You are very beautiful; when you grow up, I will marry you… In future she will also be an MP.”
The remarks sparked widespread criticism, with many Ghanaians questioning whether such comments were appropriate for a public official speaking to a child.
Responding to the backlash, Mr. Mohammed admitted that his comments were inappropriate and acknowledged that they caused discomfort to the pupil, her family and many members of the public.
He offered an unqualified apology and assured Ghanaians that such an incident would not happen again.
The MP also disclosed that he is making arrangements to visit the school through the area’s Member of Parliament to personally apologise to the child and her family.
The incident has renewed calls for public officials to exercise greater care and sensitivity when engaging with children.
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com| Asomani Regina