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02.11.2008 Education

Examination not the best appraisal for competency

02.11.2008 LISTEN
By The Chronicle

Rev. Dr. Owusu Akyeaw, General Overseer of the Living Grace Ministries in Sunyani, has suggested that the country must remove failure in examinations, which is a barrier to academic progression.

He emphasised that students must be allowed to progress academically, since failure in examinations was not the best way to assess competency.

He made the suggestion when he granted audience to a section of the media in Sunyani.

Rev. Dr. Owusu Akyeaw further suggested that students in deprived areas should have different marking schemes, because they are taught and learn in poor environments.

He pointed out that the country was wasting human resources, because it determined competence through examinations, saying most students who failed their exams could be very useful when provided with the opportunity to progress academically.

He bemoaned the system where most medical students are selected from the urban areas, saying that when such students completed their programmes, they found it very difficult working in rural areas, and subsequently leave the country.

He continued that to improve upon healthcare delivery, the state could identify and train, at least, ten brilliant students from each region, and post them back to their communities to serve.

On the coming general elections, he urged Ghanaians to vote for visionary leaders who could think twenty years ahead into the development of the country.

"The electorate must elect leaders who can look into the future, and map out the state of the nation in the next twenty years," he said.

He further appealed to voters to look out for servant leaders, who are ready to serve the nation, and not those who are just struggling for leadership positions to enrich themselves.

Rev. Dr. Owusu Akyeaw added that the nation's next crop of leaders should not be just thinking about what the country could get today, but should foresee the socio-economic transformation of the economy.

He noted that when the electorate select leaders based on quality criteria, the nation would benefit from accelerated development, and remain a beacon on the African continent.

Rev. Dr. Owusu Akyeaw expressed worry over poor decentralisation systems, and called for urgent attention.

He said there was too much focus on Accra, saying the regions must be made to handle administrative matters to free the capital from congestion and over population.

He wondered why, for example, one must have his or her passport done only in Accra.

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