34: Ghanaian Education Weekly Review (4/10 – 4/16)

Welcome change in GES payments

Jacob Kor, Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), has announced that the government will pay the salaries of 13,000 recently hired teachers by the end of April. Kor also applauded the 10,000 applicants who received promotions during the cycle and encouraged unsuccessful applicants to reapply at their desire. While it’s important to remember that at this point, Kor’s remarks are only words, it is nice to see the GES working to improve the relationship between the nation’s teachers. In past months it has been all too common to see stories of GNAT protests in response to outstanding payments.

 

President of GNAT outlines teacher of the future

Philippa Lawson, national president of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), gave a speech to provide some clarity on how teachers can prepare for the future. Lawson commended the work that teachers have done to transform the country. She said that to continue doing so, teachers will need to adapt with the development of Ghana. She encouraged teachers to accept new ideas, methods, and techniques and to increase their knowledge of technology in order to better leverage what it has to offer. She also took a muted shot at rote learning, by saying that teachers of the future ought to act as a “facilitator and not a lecturer.”

 

Construction underway for new E-Library

Construction for an E-Library in Adaklu Kpogadzi Basic Schools got underway over the weekend. The $45,000 project, spearheaded by Adanu, a Ghanaian non-profit, is expected to be completed prior to the next academic year. But what exactly will an E-Library include? Well, it will house a collection of digital learning and teaching materials that users can access on electronic readers, in addition to a selection of hard copy books. The project is going to be funded, at least in part, by private donations, and the library will in turn include a plaque to acknowledge those whose generosity made the project possible.

 

Also…

TechAide to help bring education tech to rural Ghana

Olga Kwamin, the Women’s Commisioner of the James Topp Nelson Yankah Hall of the University of Ghana, spoke of the immense benefits that an educated female population will bring.

PBS NewsHour documents Ashesi University’s efforts to fight corruption through education.

Duke Professor: Ghana will soon get a cancer treatment center

UNC Asheville’s “Discover Ghana” study abroad program received the 2017 Best Practices in International Education Award for Study Abroad Programming from the NASPA.

It can’t all be good news this week… 20 people were arrested for attempting to change student grades at the University of Ghana.