Ghana’s educational curriculums needs modification

...and modernization.

01-08-2013

Dome at the age of 13 took a critical look at his dad, then said, Papa & Mama, are really STUPID. The dad being a typical African, was infuriated.

He was going to beat the hell out of him but poised and pounded. The dad latter question his son why he made such rude comment? And the answer he got was very astonishing.

Dome told his dad, “I always watches them read, read and read and wondered why, they did not go out for more leisure activities, go to the beach, play football or play draft and leave the work to machines! Hmmm”!!!,

The dad asked again, “what kind of machines, he was talking about”? Domes answer was the “COMPUTER” There is nothing the computers can’t do, he said. “All the information you are struggling to store in your tiny little brains, according to Dome can be passed onto a COMPUTER in a MICROSECOND for answers”.

The remarks from the thirteen year old Dome now ……. Had serious impact on his parent’s attitudes towards EDUCATION in modern times. In Dome’s dad times, they spent hours on end on ASBSTRACT, COMPACTMENTALIZED AND RIGOROUS CONCEPTS, leaving very little time for application of concepts to solve REAL AND EXICITING PRACTICAL PROBLEMS. The dad felt very sad to still watch UNIVERSITY STUDENTS of today crack, their brains mastering CONCEPTS , which were developed by SCHOLARS 500 YEARS AGO!

You can still PRIMARY SCHOOL AND JSS STUDENTS learning CARPENTARY in the CLASSROOMS without TOOLS & WORKSHOPS IN GHANA. They can’t tell the difference between A HAMMER & A CHISESEL, let alone using them !!! Ghana produces University Graduates who are virtually the same. So where is the Ghana heading towards? There is a way, thanks to COMPUTERS, as DOME rightly pointed out!!

There is a saying that “there is nothing new under the sun except the UNKOWN HISTORY. The saying is true , that is, we should remove patterns in the National CURRICULUM that ENCOURAGES ROTE MEMORY. We should leave that to the CUMPUTER. I would like all curriculum developers and EDUCATIONIST in GHANA to meet to REVIEW and REMOVE IRRELEVANT THEORETICAL aspects in our CURRICULUM With the determination of DRAWING UP a NEW CURRICULUM, which would be, realistic in the Millennium. We should encourage more practical projects in alliance with our ROAD SIDE ELECTRICIANS, CARPENTERS, BLACKSMITHS, and REPAIRER ANF FITTERS OUSIDE LECTURE HALL AND CLASSROOMS. KUMASI MAGAZINE BOYS ARE MORE SKILLFUL THAN MOST OF OUR SO CALLED PRODUCTS, OF OUR UNIVERSITIES. I HAVE SEEN WITH MY OWN TWO YES THREE GHANAIAN FITTERS BUILD A BUS BODY FROM SCRAP METAL. DO THE INTERIOR DECORATIONS, ELECTRICALS AND EFFICIENT FINISHING WITH AN ENGINE IN KOKOMPE, BUT I WAS DISAPPOINTED, WHEN THEY LABLLED IT “MADE IN KOREA” WHEN COMISSIONED.

Ghana needs A “Deliberate Transformational Educational Policy” (DTREP) Now! This Change can only be effected if we adopt more PRACTICAL & REALISTIC CURRICULUM. GOVERNMENT MUST DEVELOP A POLICY THAT WILL GRANT SCHOLARSHIPS AND BURSARIES TO STUDENTS WHO UNDERTAKE THESE COURSES AT BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES.

EQUALLY GRANT TAX HOLIDAYS TO THESES PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES WHO WILL ENGAGE IN THIS SCIENCE COURSES.

I THINK IF GOVT FOCUS ON THIS WITH SERIOUSNESS WITHOUT USUAL POLITICAL LIP-SERVICE THE COUNTRY CAN BENEFIT FROM HER GRADUANT. The old imperial system must be discarded and replaced with a more Feasible and Realistic CUURRICULUM with entails 80% PRACTICALS and 20% Theory, (Accessible Electronically). By Practicals, I mean in collaboration with our roadside artisans whom we has maginalised for far too long but our the CONESTONE TO THE Ist WORLD we ASPIRE to BUILD!

You draw you own conclusions as critical thinker, Ghana needs your ideas, support STEMIC HUBS to improve Skills or build contemporary STEMIC Systems In Ghana.

Yaw Boakye

y_boakye@hotmail.co.uk