Review syllabus for Distant Education --Educationist

Sogakope, (V/R) May 8, GNA - Mr. Emmanuel Azarekor an Educationist in the South-Tongu District Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES) has called for an urgent review of the distant Education scheme to enable participating teachers to combine their course effectively with class work.

Making the appeal in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Sogakope on Friday, Mr Azarekor noted the inability of teachers to combine the loaded programme with teaching was affecting teaching and learning.

He suggested a re-appraisal of the syllabus and restructuring of the course calendar without sacrificing the quality of the programme. Mr. Azarekor, who is in-charge of Continuing Studies at the directorate, also suggested that teachers be allowed to go to campus at a certain stage to complete while replacements were found for their classes.

"The only problem is the effect on students whose teachers are on the course and there must be a leeway to correct the lapses," he said. "The periodic face-to-face meeting with their Lecturers and the semester exams period, which takes participating teachers out of their classrooms added to the heavy course assignments normally done in class leaves little time for their pupils and students," Mr Azarekor stated. He said though the programme was a good one, its implementation must not be detrimental to teaching and learning at the basic schools. Mr Azarekor observed that unlike teachers, non-teachers, who enrolled under the scheme were able to re-schedule themselves to meet the time demands of the course.

He said the district education directorate had stepped up supervision to arrest the falling standards of education in the area and urged parents to show much more interest in their wards' education through collaboration with teachers.

Mr Azarekor said the educational budget on the part of both governments and parents was huge and must not be allowed to go waste by way of poor results or half prepared products.