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Double-Track System Of Senior High Schools By Ghana Education Service (G.E.S) With Human Resource Management And Human Capital Development Issues: Good For Ghana’s Future Or Bad?

By Abdul-Kahar Adam
Opinion Double-Track System Of Senior High Schools By Ghana Education Service G.E.S With Human Resource Management And Human Capital Development Issues: Good For Ghanas Future Or Bad?
SEP 24, 2018 LISTEN

Sometimes I find it difficult to understand what we really want as Ghanaians. I want to ask a question, what or which policy from its introduction has ever been seen as a tangible solution by all? Don’t we over the years always crying foul and complaining about any sitting government at all times? Majority of Ghanaians are now journalist themselves today.

Let’s cast our minds back into Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s time, what was the population then compared to Ghana today, especially, the teaming youth? If Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was to be alive today, he would have made many changes in every sector of our economy and he would have continue to have the same challenges like any other president we see today been overwhelmed with economic turbulences in many government sectors. In trying to answer the latter question, one would understand and begin to realize that the 1992 constitution is a joke today for a four (4) years rule of elected government which is a stumbling block towards Ghana’s development. Is the constitution a strategic and policy enabler for the growth of a country or is it tune to proper strategic thinking and policy driven for development of this country, Ghana.

The woes and challenges of our educational systems and any other developmental policy decisions are as a result of the poor nature of the constitutional rules. This is so because serious development for a personal plan even takes years not months or days to build and complete and how more a government decisions on policies for just within four (4) years for nation? Though, only corrupt funds can build or buy a house in a month or within a year but the toil once takes years to build and complete. The question is which year is government expected to formulate policies and inform the public for their views, meet other stakeholders for discussions across the 10 regions all at the same time and then to collate all the concerns and views arose into perspective either to execute or otherwise. Then, what next after a fail implementation? Time is going meaning 4 years mandate pressure sets in government. Quick solutions and quick fix sets in.

Therefore, we have to be honest with ourselves first as Ghanaians before we can be able to rule ourselves efficiently and effectively. Four (4) years rule is not strategic to national development but just a law/clause in our constitution. The irony is that how can a national constitutional clause and laws make our lives better if it is not tune to strategic sense of thinking? Every day some people say law, law, constitution, constitution but do we chew it as a nation and be satisfied? No, only Strategy can give us what we want and not necessarily the constitution. As far as the constitution does not and cannot prescribe when it will rain in the country and how much we can harvest at a point in time, then we must be serious as a nation and think outside the box and look out for strategies that will develop us but not spending time and energy condoning and conniving with people to steal us and then we say corruption lets go to court and what have you? What do we gain if the same laws and law-makers play politics with everything that will make this country better? We must change our ways. So, my suggestion is that lets change the constitutional rule to 8 years straight for governments. The more governments have one term with longer time such as 8 straight years they can put up a good strategic plan and development for the country before their turn runs out. For now we are doing four (4) years destructive marketing to ourselves which takes us nowhere. The Ghana economy is like a Treadmill machine.

The reason for this suggestion is that, national development is about long term rule and not short term. A strategy of policies requires sometimes for us to think outside the box and how can one think outside the box when the law/clause in the constitution pin you down and for which it makes some public officers happy? It is very strange for constitutional rule because the world is changing very fast, day by day but the constitution is static. Hence, how can we move forward as a nation when even everything or issue about the constitution is not self explained and sometimes people normally refer to the supreme court for interpretation and rule. Very serious, we need to change the constitution to suite the national democratic rule as an agenda.

In view of the above and in relation to the current educational challenges and its hullabaloos with the double-track system policy implemented is alarming.

First of all, according to a world bank report by Toby Linden research conducted that double shift schools appear to offer adequacy in education since it is seen as viable solution for secondary school expansion. And that this kind of system is not well known as to how to make them effective due to neglect of such policies. This was conducted in Brazil and Malaysia. Also, according to Susan Sharwood argued that double shift system is not new phenomenon as in the early 1930s, one Virginia high school went for double shifts, when the district schools could not raised funds to expand their campuses. As a result of this, they choose to divide (double system) and then also shorten the number of school days. But the following were its challenges: shortened the time of classes, extra-curricular issues, teachers’ problems, other issues faced by the communities such as transportation plans problems and the cost involved.

Vision reporter (Stephen Ssenkaasa) noted how the double track system works and reported that under the double shift system the time schedule for classes start 8:00am to 1:00pm and from 2:00pm to 6:00pm. More so, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, reported that a comparative study shows that about 77.5% of the schools in Middle East, from 2003 to 2004 were operating this double shift system. It also noted that double shift secondary schools have been applied in African countries namely Zambia, Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, and Senegal but all these countries suffered drawbacks because in trying to achieve access to education and minimising cost is achieved at the expense of quality. The solutions they provided includes consultation and grounds work for proper implementation but our four (4) years constitutional mandate is destroying any good consultation, especially, educational policies in Ghana for example. There is always no time in four (4) years rule for governments.

Moreover, according to Lori Garreth-Hatfield noted some of the advantages of the double shift system in America in the 20th Century (Great Depression), that some students work on the farms or at a job before going to school in a day. The break in this system was between 20-30 minutes in the middle of the day to enable students to leave and then others to come in.

Hence forth, the positives of this double shifts system according to the World Bank are that some students can work full time before going to school, reduce overcrowding, higher salaries - may be for teachers, improves education in rural areas where transportation use to be a problem.

The negatives of this shift systems are poor population affects equal education, time disparity (some less, others get more time), less time in classrooms, affects certain subjects e.g. Science, I.T., Mathematics etc, lack experience in extra-curricular e.g. physical education games, sports etc.

In conclusion, what we need to do as Ghanaians is to stop too much talking which is more like do nothing and rather support the initiative with personal ideas and resources. For example, those parents who have resources like buildings can help government and make them available for classrooms and/or accommodation. We need as Ghanaians to sacrifice on certain policies as a whole for us to enjoy the full benefits. We all know that money is not lying down for any government to just do things at ease and so for that matter let’s stop cheap politics and support governments with personal and charitable donations in cash or in kind to make the free education work. It is only with our genuine support with governments that we can hold them accountable; if not the constitution itself is not good for our development and progress. I can only see Ghana economy as a Treadmill economy, which means we go nowhere and will continue to suffer more and more.

It is only in our own doings and actions in terms of self discipline as Ghanaians that we can see proper human development and reduction of human suffering, which is what Human Resource Management and Development is all about for nation building and growth. Not just about people pay or increasing salaries. No. Salaries go with constant increase in productivity and with bonus when achieved over and above targets (if there is any). And also, promotion can never be automatic but base on availability of vacancy, funds and constant performance and achieving results and finally by management objective and decision-making. In an absence of these, then reorganisation sets in. Employer cannot employ if there is no opportunity and funds availability to pay. Right things must be done in this country. Most public sector employment policies are totally wrong. It bears the thinking like in the 1950s when Ghana’s population and its adoption of technology was at a minimal if for nothing at all.

God Bless Our Home Land, Ghana
“Naawuni songmi nandaamba”
Abdul-Kahar Adam
[email protected]

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