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More reactions to Mahama’s education promises
Dr. Mike Boakye Yiadom, a lecturer at Cape Coast University, reacted to President Mahama’s promise of free education while remaining cognizant of the realities at play in the Ghanaian education system. Yiadom encouraged the government to do a thorough stakeholder consultation prior to rolling out the president’s ambitious plans. However, with the release of the 100-page manifesto, Mahama more or less makes it clear that he will not heed Yiadom’s advice.
For starters, the president has promised to pilot a “tablet per student” policy at the basic high school level by 2021. Obviously the ability to pay for these tablets is a concern. Former Ghana Education Service (GES) director, Mr. Michael Nsowah wonders how a government that cannot provide textbooks for students will be able to supply them with tablets. Further, Nsowah points out that there are plenty of schools that lack the IT infrastructure to even utilize the tablets. Dr. Yiadom takes a different angle, highlighting the fact that current regulations in the basic and SHS prevent students from using any form of electronic gadgets (including tablets) in schools.
As people have time to digest Mahama’s manifesto, the individual statements will change, but the bottom line is all but certain to remain decidedly pessimistic.
University president unimpressed with the Ghana education system
Patrick Awuah, founder and president of the Ashesi University, criticized the way the Ghana education curriculum emphasizes memorization over creative thinking, labeling it the “chew, pour, pass, and forget system.” Awuah explains that this is a problem because “if your education is always about memorizing facts, it is not about educating people to be forward-looking; it is educating people to always be looking back at what somebody else has discovered.” In a country faced with myriad challenges, the ability to develop creative solutions is a necessity.
Awuah’s second gripe with the education system comes from a different direction: “the second problem is there is not enough emphasis placed on ethics and so you get people in incredibly influential positions who are behaving in unethical ways and it is extremely costly to society when they do that.” Jury’s still out on the merit of Awuah’s claims, but it would certainly be nice to have a population of ethically-sound creative problem solvers.
Teachers strike over empty promise
The Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has gone on strike. The action is a response to the government’s unwillingness to elevate the teachers to “tertiary” status. The status promotion would bring with it an increase in their remunerations. It seems the teachers are right here: CETAG is classified as a tertiary institution, and the status of its teachers should reflect that. Moreover, in March the Deputy Minister of Education in charge of tertiary education, Samuel Ablakwa, said in March that the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) would be amending the status of CETAG members in April. Five months later, no such luck.
An encouraging partnership among teaching colleges
The Mampong Technical College of Education (MAMTECH) and the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signaling a collaboration between the two universities. UEW will take the lead role, providing training support for the MAMTECH technical teachers. The MOU is particularly encouraging when considering that MAMTECH is the only technical college of education in Ghana. As the country augments its interest in STEM education, the state will lean more and more on the teachers produced by MAMTECH.
This week in private sector education initiatives: Asanko Gold
Asanko Gold announced it will partner with CODE, a Canadian non-profit, to extend CODE’s “Reading Ghana” literacy and education program to include the Ashanti Region, where Asanko’s mine is located. The six year partnership will feature a GHS1.85 million investment, which will provide assistance to 32 public schools and training for over 150 teachers.
Also…
Ghana Technology University College (GTUC) has called for stronger connections between entrepreneurship, engineering, and IT to spur national growth and prosperity.
GES has released the approved fees for those attending SHS.
In an effort to reassure those involved, GES has released statements saying it will post “all newly recruited teachers…including teachers with specialty in Agricultural Science” to basic and senior high schools.
Oddly, teachers in the Assin South District of the Central Region have been banned from holding weddings or funerals during the school term.