Government asked to review Curriculum

From Linda Asante Agyei, GNA Special Correspondent, Dakar, Senegal Courtesy: Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)

Dakar (Senegal), Sept 29, GNA - Professor Kwame Offei, a Lecturer at the Biotechnology Centre of the College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon on Thursday asked the government to consider re-designing the school curriculum for primary and senior secondary schools (SSS) to make the teaching of science and technology (S&T) interesting and more attractive to students.

He said more pupils and students were being driven away from the study of the sciences to other course disciplines like the arts and businesses, which were perceived as lucrative.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Dakar at the second Africa Conference on Science and Technology organised by NEPAD and the Africa Union, Prof. Offei said there was also the need to engage the youth in the study of science as it was in the olden days so that they could develop the interest.

The conference is discussing the introduction of Africa's Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action, its approval and implementation.

Prof Offei said S&T was the bedrock of every nation's development and it was about time that government paid more attention to it. "S&T should be seen as a very important component of the nation's developmental process and the Continent will be able to deal with the numerous economic and social issues as well as fight poverty and diseases if given the needed recognition."

Prof. Offei noted: "Until governments and policy makers realised that fact, it will be difficult to move on and compete with the developed world."

He said the Government should give priority to S&T and make funds available to research development because science embraced other disciplines and should be considered in a more holistic manner to move forward in development.

He also suggested that more emphasis should be laid on a more active and practical conception of research, based on technological innovation through the enhancement, popularisation and utilisation of research findings for development.

He expressed regret that though several countries in Africa had deployed efforts to develop a scientific base in order to initiate sustainable development, negative development trends persisted while the scientific and technological divide between countries still widened. "We should make science development a culture and we will succeed", he said. 29 Sept. 05