(By Enock Gyan)
If educations across Africa are to battle the lanky legged and unmusical Mr. Ghanaian education, it will certainly be an understatement to suppose that, the later will slash off by half, the record time of the world’s swiftest man, to cling the accolade of the third world’s most endangered education. Every Ghanaian today, will without an iota of doubt admit that the educational stature of Ghana is gradually becoming similar to her fragile political posture.
The rejected voice of the citizens
Although very intelligent people have added their voice to the current educational milieu, all seemed to have fallen on death ears. For in this country, God’s own powerful apostles of sagacity place no premium on the knowledge of experts. ‘To hell’ they will yell at any suggestion and see it as a political manipulation against their hard- worn thrones. To some, what Ghana needs is a strong and autonomous institution that will oversee her education. Education should be water-tight and free from political interference. The criticality of education to a country like Ghana lies in the fact that it is most important currency in our match to development. For as James Garfield (1880) puts it, “Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained”. To others, the current educational crisis that Ghana finds herself is a pure reflection of Obama’s observation on his visit to this country last year. Hear him: “In the 21st century, capable, reliable and transparent institutions are the key to success - strong parliaments and honest police forces; independent judges and journalists; a vibrant private sector and civil society…Africa does not need strong men. Africa needs strong institutions”. Ghana needs strong and binding labor laws to prevent the kind of strikes we see now. If these institutions were robust enough, the president need not to be directly involved in most industrial muddles.
The poor schools
In this era where congestion has no place even in the tomb, students in our basic and senior high schools are facing the ordeal similar to that of our slave parents. Unquestionably, this malfeasance is traceable to the door steps of our political actors who truncate projects and policies as well as take hasty decisions without subjecting it to thorough research. Although the millennium development goals targets education for all by 2015, that does not guarantee that quality education be relegated to the background. Sadly, in Ghana, quality education has being given off. The building of temporary wooden structures not very decent to abolish shift system in basic public schools is in stark contrast to the 1966 UNESCO policy framework on education: ‘Classroom size should be such as to permit the teacher to give the pupils individual attention. School buildings should be safe and attractive ion overall design and functional in layout. The best thing to have done is to have employed gradualism while attending to the material needs of these students as well as the welfare of their teachers. The directive to convert assembly halls into classrooms is heart –aching and very unwelcomed. The hassle and tussle that we are subjecting our students to, is nothing than a denial of their right to education through such cruel punishment. Quality education is the most crucial.
It is very sad that, Ghana lacks a fair policy that will lead her into attaining a solution tailored education that will churn the human capital base that the country needs so critically at this point in history. No wonder Polytechnic teachers are still on strike as we drag their concerns left, right, centre and circumference. What Ghana can talk of is political parties’ policies laced with sinister ideological elements that sweep out a divergent political doctrine irrespective of its national gains. The absence of infrastructure at the senior high level and the resultant torturing of the academic calendar are traceable to the door steps of the leaders whom the people in this country entrusted their destinies. When the Committee of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) suggested that days for re-opening be extended, it became another trouble. But now we can all see for ourselves the current problem on our educational front. Even the person whose ears are so allergic to the educational swing can testify of the pressure and cruelty parents and their wards are being subjected to. This is exactly, the bitter bile in our democratic soup which we all need to fight against collectively, as a people. Ask the minister of Education whether there is no problem, and the answer will be in the affirmative. This is what makes me sick. When will our leaders be honest and say things just like they are?
Mills on the tea cup
In the midst of our current woes, arises the directive from the guards of our purse to share free cups with the embossed image of the president to pupils in the primary schools at such a critical point in the life of our education. This met different reactions. To some, the intent of the project is problematic- to make students know who their president is, although there is other cost effective methods of impacting such knowledge. To others it is a subliminal campaign strategy for the ruling government, by using the psychological and public relation weapon of transference to stimulate sympathy for the president in the next general election in 2012. To me it that simple question for the court of public opinion: ‘Can Mills’ photo on the tea cup cough fresh cedis for the poor schools?’
The writer is the leader of Orange Education Ghana and a member of the African leaders’ project of the African leadership Academy based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Learn more: oeghana.blogspot.com email:gyanenock@yahoo.co.uk
KNOW AFRICA AND MAKE CHANGE FROM THE BUTTOM-UP.
As jubilant fists flew mid-air and piercing voices chanted slogans during TV Africa’s quiz-‘ know Africa’ a couple of weeks ago, my eyes could not help but swallow the memories of two most heated moments of tension that gulped down my heart during South Africa 2010; now FIFA’s barometer for hosting the world’s biggest football festival. The flash back were that of the former Brazilian soccer premier, Diego Armando Maradona, whose lips could not afford to be enslaved by the cauldron of sound from the vuvuzelas that saturated the stadium, nor did his legs believing in freedom of movement, pay homage to the lines which were only the preserve of the players. And of course what most Ghanaians would not like to hear; how Suarez, now a household name, took the ball out of the net and hindered us from getting into the semi – finals of the football competition. Sorry if I have inflicted wounds or happy tension (as my grandmother calls hypertension).
It was really exciting and fun to learn new things about our continent and cheer the contestants.
The importance of pan-African education in grooming the next generation of African leaders cannot be downplayed at all. It has become imperative for the youth to gain adequate knowledge about Africa, by picking cues from yesterday in order to influence tomorrow. Educating the younger generation about Africa will help to shape the thinking of tomorrow’s leaders in order to create drastic change and impact.
A word for TV Africa
TV Africa certainly deserves a pat on their shoulder for such initiative which seeks to reflect on the history of our continent. However I believe that it will be very good if they also begin looking at how to groom leaders for the continent by tasking students to undertake projects and programs that will impact and influence their communities and rewarding their efforts. In this way, we will be exposing our future leaders to what goes into handling a real world business, project or program. Aside, the leaders tomorrow will gain knowledge about the problems that confront their country and continent in general, in order to start proffering solutions to such problems that confronts them. For as Albert Einstein said; “Imagination is more important than knowledge”
A word for the youth
“You have the power to hold your leaders accountable, and to build institutions that serve the people. You can serve in your communities, and harness your energy and education to create new wealth and build new connections to the world. You can conquer disease, end conflicts, and make change from the bottom up. You can do that. Yes you can. Because in this moment, history is on the move” (Obama -speech to Ghana’s parliament, Saturday July 11, 2009.)
The knowledge that we acquire about our continent certainly has the capacity to shape us into changing things in our country. Let us begin to take the future of our nation and demonstrate the spirit of dedication to public service which is unparallel in the history of our country-not even the 20th century youthful agitation for freedom. For as the above quotation suggests: “Yes we can”
The writer is the leader of Orange Education Ghana and a member of the African leaders’ project of the African leadership Academy based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Learn more: oeghana.blogspot.com email:gyanenock@yahoo.co.uk
Try, Ghana, try!
“No matter how tall the Iroko tree grows, it can never reach the sky”- (Nigerian proverb)
The Brazilian premier, Dilma Rousseff, was last Friday elected in what will go down into the annals of history as the first female president Latin America’s biggest nation. The United State of America’s mid-term which also occurred last week has being registered in the country’s archive as a historic one. Although there is no such thing as a perfect election arrangement any where in the world, one can certainly not go blind to the peaceful and tension free atmosphere that engulfed both elections. The success of these democratic experiments is in no uncertain terms traceable to the electronic voting system which has proven to be at least a better option above the paper ballot system.
If democracies in the third world are to succeed, then it requires answers to the fundamental instrument of rigging that undermines it. Anyone who has taken a careful look into Appiah Menkah’s book; “HOW GHANA CAME CLOSE TO A CIVIL WAR”; which recounts how a cabal of self seeking crooks, decided to hijack our democracy to private end, during the 1992 elections will realize one predictable trait; That in Ghana’s volatile and charged political environment, it is extremely important that we have a trusted election process, where elections will be regarded as reasonably fair, even by the loosing side. It is as a result of this that it has becoming very necessary that Ghana begins to make serious considerations to transplant this democratic culture into her garden in order to save her from the near collapse experience which has over the years characterized most elections on the continent.
The true notion of majoritarian rule in a democracy is often made mockery of by the electoral posture in our country which manifest in the high rejected ballots after an election. Yet the same cannot be said of what pertains during the electronic voting. The Philippines elections on the 10th of May this year, which used the electronic voting, speak volumes for itself. Official tally by the country’s electoral body; COMELEC showed that; 29,018,156 votes represented 100% of valid votes cast. Thus If such a huge size population has being able to make it, then nothing should hinder Ghana , a country whose population size is over two times smaller as compared to that of the Philippines.
The resource of this country is another area which we must all take keen interest and opt for the electronic system of voting. The 2008 presidential elections is a typical case in point. The research and monitoring department of the electoral commission on the first round of elections stated that, out of a total of 8,671,272 votes cast; 8,465,832 were valid. The 205,438 rejected ballots represented 2.4% of total votes cast. The then NPP flag bearer, Nana A.D Akuffo-Addo obtained 4,159,439 representing 47.92% as against the then NDC candidate; J.E.A Mills’ 4,056,634 votes which represented 47.92%.The percentage difference between the two candidates was a slim margin of 1.21% less than the 2.4% of ballots rejected. By simple arithmetic therefore, Ghana would not have gone to the polls and thus not wasted state resources if the NPP should have obtained 45.83% or above of the rejected ballots. With 87.5% of the rejected ballots, the NDC could have also prevented us from going to the polls again. And the money for the second round would have being channeled into other sectors of the economy.
Peace and stability in the in the country is another area which e-voting brings to the table. During this year’s elections in Philippines; with a population of 50.7 million people, and voting closing at 7pm , two thirds of the results which represented 6 7% of certified electoral results, were known by 10pm. Same can be said of the Brazilian election starting at 10.00GMT and closing at GMT20.00 and producing majority of results the same day.
As Africa’s shining star and beacon of hope, Ghana cannot afford to loose her hard-won reputation. Hence it is about time we test the waters for this mode of electing our leaders which presents other several advantages. It’s our time, or as they say in Afrikaans; ‘Ke Nako’
The writer is the leader of Orange Education Ghana and a member of the African leaders’ project of the African leadership Academy based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Learn more: oeghana.blogspot.com email:gyanenock@yahoo.co.uk
