New educational reform will enable students to play functional role in society

Mr. J.C. Amoah, Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of Education, has noted that the current educational reform has paved way for products of the school system to play positive functional roles in the society.
He, however, noted that beneficiaries of the new school system can only be self-determined to improve their quality of lives if parents and other stakeholders showed interest and actively participated in its delivery.
Mr. Amoah was speaking at a symposium organised by the Pathfinders Educational Trust (PET), a Kumasi-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) for some selected pupils, students, teachers and parents in Kumasi at the weekend.
It was aimed at helping students, pupils and parents in educational institutions and industry to promote understanding that would lead to making informed choices about the selection of schools, course programmes and vocations.
Mr. Amoah said all over the world, education had become the major key to economic, social and technological advancement but noted that without a sound and firm educational foundation and effective guidance and counselling, the laudable aims and objectives of the new educational reform would not be achieved.
He, therefore, advised parents and guardians to develop greater understanding of their wards, establish effective communication and use encouragement and positive approaches to bring about constructive behavioural changes in them.
Mr. Joe K. Koranteng, Regional Guidance and Counselling Co-ordinator at the Ashanti Regional Education Office, said quality education could only be beneficial if the student was self-understanding with proper direction to enable him to adjust maximally to the home, school, community and the environment.
He said without effective guidance and counselling in educational institutions, the benefits of quality education to enable individuals to contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic development and harmonization of the society would be a mirage.
Mr. Koranteng explained that guidance and counselling was a necessary process in assisting pupils and students to make the right choices, plans and decisions to promote discipline in schools and society.
He stated that adequate tools and techniques should be adopted to help students select programmes that would tally with their interests, abilities, aptitudes and vocational aspirations.