Kotey Scribbles: At Long Last, Free SHS

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Nothing is more comforting than a man who fulfills his promises. It does not only make him more trustworthy among his peers, but it also brings an estimable aura around him to the society. Such was what happened when it was announced that Free SHS will begin next academic year. As a result, many who become dropouts due to their inability to further their education for financial reasons will enjoy from this right.

Obviously there is a but...
But then is our system of education ready for this leap? Of cause people argue that it is feasible, and i do not disagree. The question we should be asking is, will this bring an improvement to the level of education being currently offered? Or was it only done to provide means for all else to have access?

Ghana was ranked last in the biggest global school rankings published by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) in 2015 out of 76 countries. With this being in the recent past, I believe our education system needs a total overhaul and not the mere change in syllabi and combination of subjects that has been done over the years by those in charge. There must be a clear link between each level of education and solution to our perennial problems.

For example, it should be that after completing each level of education, each student must have been trained and be able to tackle and/or reason to be employed in a particular sector of the country's economy. Currently, it seems we are only channeling people to move from one level to the other without any social impact in the country unless cramming to gain good grades to get to the next level.

Also, the level of education in the public JHS institutions has fallen over the years. This is as a result unavailability of resources and, sadly, quality and quantity of teachers. We must also promote the scientific way of solving problems in our basic schools and provide them with the needed computer education and training for them to become globally competitive from an early stage. That said, government has the option on improving the standard of education by investing heavily in the basic level. It can do this through public-private partnership. The foundation must be strong.

Furthermore, government cannot continue to be the panacea for all our problems in this country. It must promote a sense of responsibility among parents, most importantly, the citizens, in order for them to play a part in the education of their children. After all, we must be citizens, not spectators. Obviously, not all parents have the same level of income. The government could have assessed the level of income of each student’s guardian/parent to know which one needs free education. It is true we all pay taxes but then it will be more expedient to help those who can't help themselves.

Another way to have accomplish this free education, would have been to 'borrow' from the American system, where students who schooled in their states have some privileges in tuition fees as compared to those who travel to other states. Yes, i know we are a unitary state, but then why have regions?

On how our subjects are taught, picking Physics as an example, a paper published in the World Journal of Education by Isaac Buabeng et al. states "...Findings from the study suggest that classroom interaction seemed to be mostly teacher-centered and

tended not to support inquiry-based teaching and learning which is noted for promoting conceptual change and enhance performance. It is recommended among other things that physics teachers should be exposed to efficient pedagogies of teaching and presenting information to learners. The traditional way of teaching where teacher decides on what goes on in the classroom has a limited space in the 21st century science classrooms, particularly physics."

The gaps and lapses in our education is so vast that I am not able to address all in this limited space but then, obviously we need more improvement on our education now, and partnering with the private sector, to gradually make it free whiles improving on our education at each level will be more beneficial to the nation.

Lest I be stoned, please I'm not against Free SHS. I have the opinion that each level of education must be properly developed before we move on to the next.

My name is Kotey .
Author: Edwin Kotey
Email: [email protected]