The wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Matilda Amissah-Arthur, has called on the youth in the country to take advantage of educational opportunities that abound in their areas seriously in order for them to become future leaders.

According to her, education is critical and key in nation building.

Mrs. Amissah-Arthur gave the advice on Thursday, June 9, when 14-year-old Ghanaian Afua Ansah, who was among 45 finalists for the 2016 Scripps National Spelling Bee, called on her in her office.

Ms Ansah was there together with Phoebe Naaki Odei, who also won the national French Spelling Bee in Ghana.

Mrs. Matilda Amissah-Arthur praised her for holding her nation’s flag high across the world, making the nation proud.

She said they have brought much honours not just for Ghana but for the African continent.

As a librarian, she said, she was very  proud to see them do well, especially Afua answering questions from reporters after being crowned as Ghana’s first ever finalist for such an event.

She advised that Afua should be used as a role model for other Ghanaian children, so that they will emulate what she has been able to achieve in the area of education and as a spelling ambassador for the youth and future generations.

Mrs. Matilda Amissah-Arthur urged Ghanaians to celebrate Afua as a living testimony to encourage others “so that we would get more of her type as a nation,” adding that a reading nation is an informed nation.

As part of her educational reform agenda by encouraging school children to read, Mrs Amissah-Arthur donated some educational materials and a laptop to Afua and Naaki for the successes they have chalked.

She used the occasion to advise the youth not to allow deprivation to be an obstacle to their education and put in extra effort in learning in order to add value to their lives.

She urged the youth to cultivate the habit of reading, saying “as you read, you learn good values and principles, which can help you, go far”.

She also urged them to see themselves as the future leaders and use the opportunities at their doorsteps to learn hard and dream big in order for them to become responsible and better citizens in the near future.

Thanking the Second Lady, Afua said: “It felt incredibly exciting, it was beyond my wildest dreams, to finally make it on my first try”.

“It has been quite intense because we have been working on the word list for quite some time.”

Afua said she looks forward to sharing the experience with her friends and family.

She further stated that she was feeling very proud to be doing this on behalf of my country.

“I feel like an ambassador of Ghana so I am proud to carry the flag of my country at the finals.”

Source: 3news.com|Ghana

Twitter: @3Newsgh