How To deal With The Falling Standards Of Education In Ghana

According to Wikipedia “Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. Educational methods include storytelling, discussion, teaching, training, and directed research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of educators, but learners may also educate themselves. Education can take place in formal or informal settings and any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be considered educational. The methodology of teaching is called pedagogy. Education is commonly and formally divided into stages such as pre-school or kindergarten, primary school, secondary school and then college, university or apprenticeship. A right to education has been recognized by some governments and has entrenched clauses that make it very legal but ask yourself how many citizens are aware of such provision just a few privileged ones.

At the global level: Article 13 of the United Nations 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recognizes a universal right to education.

In most regions education is compulsory up to a certain age.

”Standard is explained as a level of quality or attainment or something used to as a comparative evaluation.As a teacher and an advocate for quality education I can boldly say that Ghana’s standards of education is very low and has continued to dwindle since independence due to the reasons I have gathered across my few years of beign a student and an educator

Firstly, poor management of the educational sector. Management means judicious use of means to accomplish a task. Management of our educational sector in Ghana has been extremely poor. The normal chorus from our management is lack of logistics to help carry out their mandate. Take a short visit to most education offices in Ghana and you will realise that the officials in charge of overseeing the implementation of education policies are not performing up to speed with standards required. It then becomes daring to ask that in every government's budget provisions are made for education and if I’m right it receives a higher chunk of our budgetary arrangement, so where does the money go then.

Politically influenced educational policies. A typical example is the four year SHS Policy which was canceled immediately after a change of government. As a developing country, we need an educational Policy which will help project our development not politically driven policies which will just project self-interest of our politicians. The country needs educational policies that can help accelerate our development as a country and to meet global standards where Ghanaians can be able to fit in any job globally.

Inadequate funding for education. It is alarming to know that funding for education is at a very low percent. Ghana’s budget allocation for education is around 9.2 percent I stand to be corrected. However, that percentage is not sufficient for a developing country which requires major resources to enhance its development. Practical and relevant curriculum About 90 percent of teachers and educationists will agree with me that our curriculum is too liberal and lacks practicality. Copying the curriculum of other countries and imposing it on our system is highly appalling. As a country we will not improve the lives of the citizens if our leaders still go for curriculum revision without taking the major interest of development and to enhanced lives of the ordinary Ghanaian.

Inadequate logistics and resources. Inadequate logistics and basic resources in schools are affecting effective delivery of education in Ghana. Computers, chalks and other teaching aids used by teachers are lacking in most classrooms throughout the country. How can pupils learn when teachers don't have chalk to use to teach.

I recommend the following measures as a means of dealing with the falling standards of education in Ghana.

My first antidote to cure this ailment is provision of sufficient funds for education. This will go a long way to address the problems of inadequate logistics and resources. This will also ensure effective and efficient management of the educational sector.

Another outstanding remedy to deal with the falling standards of education is having a practical and relevant curriculum which will push our national agenda.

One other solution which will stabilise our educational Policy framework is having an educational plan that spans over a longer period. An educational plan which can project our development to a desired point in the near future and not politically driven policies that is changed when there is a change of government.

With this few thought-provoking and conscience appealing piece of literature if not a massive improvement I hope it will generate an amount of attention in the minds of well-wishing Ghanaians. If this piece of advice is heeded to by the big men I think there will be an uplift of about 60 percent in our educational standards and with other outstanding interventions by the year 2030, we would have an educational system which would project the development plan of our motherland Ghana.

BY: KPODO PRINCE OFORI
BACHELOR OF EDUCATION (UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION,WINNEBA)

0246928989