Quality education should result in change in behaviour-Educationist

Ms. Benedicta Naana Biney, Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service observed at the weekend that the relevance of quality education meant the acquisition of skills that would not only be utilized to improve the socio-economic well-being of individuals, but to develop their various communities.

To this end, she said, children should develop the necessary skills that would not only meet their essential learning needs for survival, security and growth, but would also make them adaptable to the changing trends in the global economy of this modern age.

Ms. Biney made this observation when she spoke at the 68th Speech and Prize-Giving Day celebration of the Ebenezer Senior High School at Dansoman in Accra.

The occasion had: “Promoting Quality Education” as its theme.

Ms Biney, who was the Guest Speaker pointed out that quality education delivery did not emanate from a vacuum, and said people must drive it, while facilities ought to be provided, in addition to the development of the human and material resources capacity.

She explained that the establishment of the Ghana Education Trust Fund and other educational partnership ventures were geared towards improving educational infrastructure in schools.

Government, she said, had in the past shown commitment through the provision of added facilities and equipment to enhance the teaching and learning processes in schools.

In doing so, however, she said, government needed the complementary efforts of all stakeholders, to provide the best of educational opportunities and facilities for the youth.

Ms Biney charged the three institutions that have very high stakes in the education delivery, namely, the school, the home and the community, to play complimentary roles in promoting educational delivery, and ensuring that the youth were constantly informed about societal values, in order to obtain the best form of education.

The Guest Speaker expressed grave concern about the enormous challenges that faced schools in educating the youth, and urged communities and stakeholders to ably provide the needed support for the smooth running of educational institutions.

She reminded stakeholders in education, of their combined effort to instill in the youth such societal values as honesty, tolerance, love, diligence, responsibility, peace, trust, patriotism, compassion, integrity and fairness, all of which, were

“sine qua non”, for the development of the total person in pursuance of quality education.

This, Ms Biney expressed the hope that this would help minimize contemporary social problems and vices such as drug abuse, gangsterism, dishonesty, corruption, aggressiveness, armed robbery, as well as challenges of academic under-achievement and school failure.

She underscored the need for communities to provide land for the expansion of existing schools, safeguard existing parcels of land allocated to schools from encroachment, and save authorities from harassment by traditional land owners on demands for payment of compensation.

Ms Biney tasked teachers to go about their duties with a high sense of diligence, dedication and commitment, and to use their initiative and drive to build traditions for their various institutions, promote tranquility and inculcate good behaviour into students.

She called for closer collaborations between parents and school authorities to help bring out the best in students.

The Deputy Director-General reiterated the call on old students to give of their best to their alma mater in order to become role models for current students.

While commending deserving students of the school for their excellent academic performances, Ms Biney urged the student body to eschew laziness, indiscipline, absenteeism, amorous relationships and other vices that could land them into troubles.

Mr Fritz Baffour, Member of Parliament for Ablekuma South, assured educational institutions within the constituency that everything possible would be done to promote effective teaching and learning.

In her report, Mrs Elizabeth Addo, Headmistress of the School, said it was gratifying to note that students presented for the final examinations last year attained 100 per cent with improved grades, with Master Isaac Prempeh emerging as the overall best student from the Science Department with four As, three Bs and one C.

Mrs Addo asked parents to encourage their wards

to take keen interest in co-curricula activities,
because education was an all round character building.

She catalogued the challenges facing the school, and said they include sanitation, inadequate classrooms, security, furniture, and accommodation, and regretted that the suspension of work on the vocational block was adversely affecting the quality of teaching and learning, “as teachers and students are compelled to work under trees and abandoned blocks as workshops.”

The Headmistress expressed the hope that the early completion of the single dormitory block and a second one put in place, would help ease the burden on parents to accommodate students coming from outside Accra.

Mr. Ernest Noye, Assistant Headmaster in-charge of Administration, commended the founding fathers of the school for their vision and foresight, and hoped all stakeholders would play their expected roles to help achieve the aims and objectives of the pioneers.

In his report, Master Pius Kwofie Debrah, School Prefect, lauded the authorities for their hard work and zeal which, he said, had brought the school that far.

Master Debrah enumerated the problems facing the school to include thier small library room, science laboratories not fully equipped, and classrooms not convenient for studies, especially when it rained, and hoped the authorities would help provide lasting solutions to them.

Mr. Iganatius Asare, Financial Director of GHACEM, and an old boy of the school who chaired the function, said, in spite of all the challenges that faced the school in the 1970s when he was a student, the tutors worked diligently to ensure that students came out with best grades.

Deserving students were presented with prizes, while dedicated and hard working teaching and non teaching personnel were rewarded.

GNA