Ghana's educational system has over the years been a topical issue that is always being addressed in the media but very little is being done about it.
In brief, Ghana operates on a 6-3-3-4 system. Thus primary school -6 years, senior high school-3 years which was subsequently changed to 4 years and then reversed back to 3 years. Amounting to no WASSCE being written in 2010 making two cohorts graduate in 2013 and university bachelor's degree-4 years.
Apparently, Ghana being a member of commonwealth, uses the English as it official language throughout their educational system.
Admission to senior high starts with the writing of Basic Education Certificate Examination(BECE) at the end of JHS form 3 which invariably ceritfies them to be admitted with good grade. After the examination students are required to offer a core curriculum of Integrated science, mathematics, social studies and english language and any other four or three electives chosen from one of these groups: science, arts(social science and humanites) vocational( visual arts or home economics), technical, business or agriculture.
Grading is exceptionally tough I must say.
The minimum university standard for admission to post secondary education is a "C".
With all these stringent process one has to go through before becoming a university graduate, the quality of education is beset with enormous problems not forgeting the disadvantages associated with its structure.
In relation to its quality, inadequate infrastructures and logistics used in educating the populace invariably is a major blockade of the Ghanaian government in archieving its goal of improving the quality of education.
But what steps has been taken to mitigate the problem?
One can not imagine that in this day and time, we still have one teacher teaching seven to eight subjects with students of 70-75 in a class.
How pathetic!!!.
This would take us to another problem of poor remuneration for which youth of this age are refusing to engage in the teaching profession together with poor conditio0n of service.
Far from this, our system is more of the theoretical than practical thus being more knowledge based than technical.
Our education system continues to produce graduates for non-existing white collar jobs rendering the majority of our youth unemployed.
Consequent to this, moral crack down is on the increase, so is social vices such as armed robbery, prostitution, vandalism and all sort of abominable acts one could think of.
The question we need to ask ourselves is; what are our leaders doing about this canker that has plagued our educational system.
And it would interest you to know that these problems do affect our economy directly and indirectly. It retards productivity which invariably slows down the rate of economic acitivities going on in the country.
What fascinates me the most is the gross examination malpractices that goes on in our institutions. It really makes me wonder whether such red-tape procedures of examination really matters when accessing students to be elevated to their next level of study.
This is evident in the cancellation of examination questions in recent exams conducted by the examination body. We are always being told of measures being put in place to curb the menace yet the malpractice is still in existence.
Most students graduates with execellent grades yet still do not know anything. You will meet them and you'll question yourself whether they really attended a school.
As a concerned citizen, it is my wish that our educational system be restructured to avoid this problem of churning out unemployed graduates who turn out to seek non-existing white collar jobs
More technical and vocational institutions should be established to meet the demands of the growing larbour market.
Other methods should be instituted in accessing students togethe with the currents method.
Teachers should be provided with good condition of service and provided with the prerequisite logistics to work with for the better of all.
I believe voices of the people shall be heard.
In brief, Ghana operates on a 6-3-3-4 system. Thus primary school -6 years, senior high school-3 years which was subsequently changed to 4 years and then reversed back to 3 years. Amounting to no WASSCE being written in 2010 making two cohorts graduate in 2013 and university bachelor's degree-4 years.
Apparently, Ghana being a member of commonwealth, uses the English as it official language throughout their educational system.
Admission to senior high starts with the writing of Basic Education Certificate Examination(BECE) at the end of JHS form 3 which invariably ceritfies them to be admitted with good grade. After the examination students are required to offer a core curriculum of Integrated science, mathematics, social studies and english language and any other four or three electives chosen from one of these groups: science, arts(social science and humanites) vocational( visual arts or home economics), technical, business or agriculture.
At the end of Senior High, all students are required to take the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in each of the subjects annually in May-June but the results are available the following October.
The minimum university standard for admission to post secondary education is a "C".
With all these stringent process one has to go through before becoming a university graduate, the quality of education is beset with enormous problems not forgeting the disadvantages associated with its structure.
In relation to its quality, inadequate infrastructures and logistics used in educating the populace invariably is a major blockade of the Ghanaian government in archieving its goal of improving the quality of education.
But what steps has been taken to mitigate the problem?
One can not imagine that in this day and time, we still have one teacher teaching seven to eight subjects with students of 70-75 in a class.
How pathetic!!!.
Far from this, our system is more of the theoretical than practical thus being more knowledge based than technical.
Our education system continues to produce graduates for non-existing white collar jobs rendering the majority of our youth unemployed.
Consequent to this, moral crack down is on the increase, so is social vices such as armed robbery, prostitution, vandalism and all sort of abominable acts one could think of.
The question we need to ask ourselves is; what are our leaders doing about this canker that has plagued our educational system.
And it would interest you to know that these problems do affect our economy directly and indirectly. It retards productivity which invariably slows down the rate of economic acitivities going on in the country.
What fascinates me the most is the gross examination malpractices that goes on in our institutions. It really makes me wonder whether such red-tape procedures of examination really matters when accessing students to be elevated to their next level of study.
This is evident in the cancellation of examination questions in recent exams conducted by the examination body. We are always being told of measures being put in place to curb the menace yet the malpractice is still in existence.
As a concerned citizen, it is my wish that our educational system be restructured to avoid this problem of churning out unemployed graduates who turn out to seek non-existing white collar jobs
More technical and vocational institutions should be established to meet the demands of the growing larbour market.
Other methods should be instituted in accessing students togethe with the currents method.
Teachers should be provided with good condition of service and provided with the prerequisite logistics to work with for the better of all.
I believe voices of the people shall be heard.
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