My Thoughts On The Falling Standard Of Education At The Pre-Tertiary Level In Ghana

The goal of providing education to the Ghanaian is to equip the Ghanaian with the skill and tool that enhances his/her innate potential to be able to fit into the society, thereby contributing meaningfully towards the development of the country.

Many policies have been formulated from the pre-colonial era to our present times all geared towards making education better suited to solving the developmental challenges of the time. However, the current trends in results of students who sit the WASSCE and BECE give a worrying concern to those who are indeed concern. Many questions that are boiling in mind and for which I want to share with readers and to which I believe will elicit sincerity and truthfulness are:

1. When did we arrive at this deadly point?
2. What have been the driving forces that facilitated this urge?
3. What is next as we continue to slip into this deep tunnel with no end on sight?
4. What is indeed the future of our future leaders?

As you ponder on these questions, permit me to say that as Ghanaians, we have been taught and trained whether directly or indirectly not to question authority and as such, we have become timid to ask questions especially when it has to do with an elderly person or someone in authority. Sadly, this has consolidated the egos of these few in authority to ride on the society with ‘lies’ and entrenched position of not being questioned.

Our society in the midst of all these lies, has become somewhat ignorant as to where we are currently, how did we get here and where will our next destination be in education especially pre-tertiary education? The few ‘shouts’ who seek to find answers to their worries are thwarted by the powers that be to the detriment of ceasing the opportunity of reforming the status quo to enable the vulnerable succeed within a well reformed and resourced pre-tertiary educational system.

It is interesting to observe how the labour unions in education who are the implementers of educational policies have been quiet of late even in the midst of the state’s inability or lukewarm attitude towards providing the essential tools needed for excellent education delivery at the pre-tertiary level in the country.

In most cases the National Media Commission is not seen in the light of these shortfalls in our education delivery. Come to think of the programmes they are believed to have censored and the time of their delivery by the various net works or television stations. It will do us all good, if they are also factored into the equation to awaken them to assess the effect of their “sleeping” attitude of duty on mother Ghana.

Sadly, our society’s moral fibre has also collapsed or is on the verge of collapsing as a result of lack of effective parenting and neglect of ensuring the best of Social Welfare System that facilitates the harmonization of the best cultural values; unite the family and promote societal ownership of the child.

Collectively, we know our sickness and the over blaming of the teacher is just an act of shifting the goal post of assessing the individual roles as components of the rectangle (STATE AGENCIES, TEACHER, PARENTS/SOCIETY/ CSOs and STUDENT) in our educational delivery system.

Indeed if we champion openness and fairness without being subjected to threats, intimidations and assurance of trust and truthfulness shall we be blessed with moral evolution of excellence in our educational delivery system? Your guess is as good as mine.

We must note that our inability to sincerely and truthfully initiate mechanisms and systems to address this mess shall give birth to threats to our own safety and security as a society and a country. The time has come for an action to be taken and I know there are committed and hidden individuals who are willing to profess and share their thoughts and resources to arrest this canker as early as possible.

From:
MAHMOOD BILL N.L
(POOMA UN INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER FOR EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES FOR GHANA AND WEST AFRICA)