Not too long ago, Ghana’s educational infrastructure was second to none, while the quality of education was the envy of many countries, including our colonial masters.
In the past, which our senior citizens refer to as the “good old days”, middle school pupils from many rural communities gained admission to the best second-cycle schools in the country.
At that time, the government was able to provide adequate budgetary support for the running of the schools, while the teachers showed more commitment to the teaching and learning processes.
The teachers did not worry too much about their reward on earth, as they were content with the fact that their “reward is in heaven” and committed themselves to the welfare of their pupils and students.
It was an honour for the teachers to continue to impart knowledge to their pupils after school hours for free in order to prepare the pupils adequately for their external examinations.
Some communities honoured teachers through whose efforts pupils and students excelled in the Common Entrance Examination, the Middle School Leaving Certificate Examination, as well as the School Certificate Examination.
The communities even played a part in the promotion and demotion of teachers and that helped develop community ownership of our educational system.
Now, the situation has deteriorated to such an extent that pupils in rural schools do not make good grades to gain admission to senior high schools.
There are communities in all the districts where schools have scored zero per cent in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
Various stakeholders, such as the government, the district assemblies, religious bodies, communities, non-governmental organisations and parents, have individually or collectively initiated moves to address the falling standards of education in the country.
At the beginning of the academic year, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) abolished the shift system in the metropolis in what has been described as a progressive step towards resolving educational challenges.
The AMA has faced some challenges in the implementation of the policy, but just as it is said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, this must be the AMA’s first step towards improving the quality of education in the metropolis.
The Daily Graphic thinks that the nagging issue of schools under trees must also be resolved as part of the larger agenda to make teaching and learning conducive throughout the country.
At the last count, it was said that there are about 4,000 schools under trees in the country and the government has set out to provide permanent structures for all of them.
The Daily Graphic commends the Central Gonja District Assembly in the Northern Region for replacing 41 schools under trees with permanent structures, as reported in the Ghanaian Times of yesterday.
We urge all district assemblies to intensify efforts to replace schools under trees with permanent structures in order to improve teaching and learning and upgrade the standard of education in the country.
The Daily Graphic calls on the Ministry of Education to improve its monitoring and supervisory roles in schools to compel teachers to give of their best. For, without the commitment and dedication of teachers, no amount of resources pumped into education will yield the desired results.
No comments:
Post a Comment