Ask many Ghanaians about the quality of education in Ghana, or if you are twice as shy as me turn to the mass media and the possible conclusion you will draw is that education in Ghana, especially in the public schools is in the doldrums. At least, the challenges in education has for once united the opinions of Ghanaians, in that both the informed and uninformed across the political divide agree that education is in crises. There are reports of poor performance which pervades the education ladder from basic, through senior high to the universities. Specifically, the 2013 National Education Assessment (NED) report has it that majority of pupils in basic schools cannot read to understand either in English or in any Ghanaian language. According to the report, more than 50percent of pupils assessed could not pronounce a single English or Ghanaian word correctly. As for performance in Mathematics, the least said about it the better.
The current situation is to say the least disheartening and a near hopeless situation for a nation which prides itself as the gateway to West Africa, seeing teachers who are implementers of the curriculum sending their own wards to private schools, where high fees are paid.
LET’S THINK;
Zeroing in on a few aspects, we need, as a people to start questioning what we have been teaching the future leaders of Nkrumah’s Ghana. Our educational system requires revolutionary changes from very challenging curriculums to more disciplinary and demanding parents. Currently, our curriculums are loaded with “nothing” and we do not need God to suggest to us that we are on the wrong trajectory when most university graduates do not find jobs let alone pursue a career.
There are too many subjects and topics in the curriculum which tends to make students learn a lot without gaining mastery in none. Methinks core subjects at the basic school should be sized down to mathematics and languages [English, French and Ghanaian languages]. Another subject, which is also considerable is ICT and also, room should be developed for a course that should aim at identifying and developing the individual talents of the child. We need to indigenize our curriculums and shy away from the “cut and paste” policies from the western world. Our form of education must solve our problems. If a child can read, write and understand language with a good grasp of mathematics, there is no subject that child cannot handle at higher levels of education.
One huge advantage of reducing the number of subjects at the basic level is that instead of providing for learning materials for all the subjects, government will concentrate on providing adequate TLMs for fewer subjects. This will help the child to understand easily and gain competence in the aforementioned subjects. This in turn will bring about more student-centered classroom practices and a higher student achievement.
Adding to the hurdle of learning too many subjects is the many abstract and irrelevant priorities in the curriculum. For instance, too much emphasis is laid on historical dates and names at the expense of historical lessons. Imagine a primary three (3) boy learning about northern and southern hemisphere as factors affecting the weather. Like seriously? Why not limit such factors to things the child can see and feel in his community?
Education is a socio-economic right recognized and protected under the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and it transcends the mere acquisition of reading, writing and arithmetic skills. It is a process of transformation that empowers the individual, sharpens communication and critical thinking skills and provides such individual with the ability to act and act right. There is too much emphases on grades obtained in examination either for further education or for the job market. This mentality has made students to become very dependent on immoral behaviours such as examination malpractices, and with the influx of technology, examination leakages are more common than before making students lazy thinkers. (Since, they are aware that teachers- who also want to compensate for some inefficiencies, will source questions for them during final examinations). At the higher levels students are seen bribing lecturers or offering sex, so there is no place for diligence and hardwork. Gone were the days when students at the basic levels were conscious about the neatness of their underwears and finger nails, now, students do not even care about the cleanliness of their uniforms let alone their communities. The system is too academic and theoretical so much that students come out with nothing to save themselves. The curriculum must offer practical solutions to our perennial problems of sanitation, food security, environmental degradation, corruption and unemployment.
Experience and heaps of research have shown a close correlation between the knowledge and skills of a nation’s human resource and the productivity of the nation’s economy. Yet in Ghana, the knowledge imparted in the individual is very restrictive and compared with “Employability” is like the proverbial like poles. There are issues of teachers who cannot express themselves adequately in Ghanaian and English languages, rampant medical negligence in our health facilities including teaching hospitals. As for public-office holders, the least said about them the better; a public-office holder is a Siamese twin with corruption and incompetence.
Last but not the least, a core course in leadership which instills discipline and patriotism can also be given a place, particularly at higher levels, in the curriculum. This course should not aim at mere definitions and explanation of terms but should practically conscientize students who are the future leaders of this nation and awaken their sense of community.
Emphasis should also be shifted from paper qualification to total mental transformation; new ways to gauge how well our students think ,speak and act and not how well they answer BECE, WASSCE or end of semester questions should be introduced if Ghana is going to make any impact on her productivity and economy. It is not enough for government to invest a huge chunk of its budget in education neither is regionalized examinations enough but the curriculum must change to make such investments meaningful.
Frederick K. Kofi Tse
Kelikofi@gmail.com
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