Education Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has been outlining some drastic reforms his sector seeks to implement to ensure better teaching and learning practices for improved outcomes.
Speaking at the National Education Sector Review forum in Accra, he proposed that there should be an extension of closing time for basic schools in the country.
"School closes too early in this country. At 2:00pm, parents from farms are not back and parents working at the public service are not back from work, so why can't school close at 4:00 pm," he said.
Dr. Opoku Prempeh said the ministry is talking to National Council for Curriculum Assessment, a regulatory body in charge of the timetable, to review the schedule to coincide with the closing time of parents from work.
He also expressed displeasure at the current quality of education, especially at the basic level. He said there are about 42,000 teachers in early grade teaching about 650,000 odd children which means 10 to 15 students are assigned to one teacher. Yet, at primary two, only 2% of the pupil can read at that level.
That is unacceptable, he pointed out, saying, “we in the ministry are not going to rest till things change”.
Speaking at the review, the GES Director General, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa said the Education service is creating a division to be in charge of evaluation, planning and research to avoid the inconsistency and ensure accountability.
“When we get the leadership right, we get curriculum, inspection, and teacher education right”, he said.
He assured that they are putting teacher-learning materials and other measures in place to facilitate quality education and bridge gaps.
Of all the proposed reviews by the Education Minister, the extension of the closing time for basic school pupils has been the most topical.
Some parents who spoke to Joy News were in favour of the extension of the closing time.
"it will increase efficiency in teaching and learning," one of them said.
"It will help the student to exhaust the syllabus" and "stop some students from joining bad crowds" another intimated.
However Country Director of NGO World Education, Susan Adu Aryee raised some issues about the new proposal.
"What happens to students learning for a long time," she asked, adding "what is the percentage of parents who are not home when kids close from school, are we going to use the extra hours for life skills or continue the curriculum."
She said the government should look at the Ghanaian society and research into what will help the education system in the country.
He also told the Ghana Education Service (GES) the lapses such as incoherent curriculum and lack of supervision and assessment made are “totally unacceptable”.
“When I asked what the pupil standards are, they did not have one and when I asked for a curriculum to address the pupil standards I was given a draft”, he said.
Source: JFM/Ghana
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i told you there is no single sense in the heads of these npp ashante villagers. the only thing they know how to do best is to join occultic lucifer societies like their elders such as john agyekum kuffuor,otumfuor osei tutu and all the rest.napo,you want to kill people's children for rituals abi? is education even meaningful and useful in GHNANA?.We have over millions of human beings graduating every month from ***barred word*** universities in GHANA without jobs and start up CAPITAL to start business,yet we keep adding to the numbers. IF YOU ARE SENSIBLE ENOUGH,YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT,THE CHILDREN CANNOT STAND THE DURATION YOU ARE PROPOSING.You are only thinking of their parents who are older and stronger than their children which shows,you lack common sense. THINK AGAIN BEFORE YOU TALK.
A WONDERFUL PROPOSAL, DR PREMPEH, GOD BLESS AND INDEED THIS WILL GO LONG WAY TO ENHANCE TEACHING AND LEARNING. MOREOVER, MAKE THE BASIC SCHOOLS ENVIRONMENT ARE EQUALLY IMPROVED TO SUPPORT TO BRILLIANT IDEA.
Mr. Minister, thank you for the proposals. But I have some reservations about the whole idea. 1. There is no need extending the time. When we were in the basic school, we close at 2.00pm and we had enough time to revise whatever we were thought. We were able to relax and refresh our minds. We have to carry out house chores and other duties for our parents. Remember, most of the pupils who attend public schools are those who are house helps, and the low income group who have to help their parents for some income generating ventures. Mind you, the parents you talk about set tasks for these children to do after school and they (parents) do not go for them after work. Please, consider this. 2.Why are we pressurising the children this way. What we were not able to do in a year, we want our children to do in a week. They will crumble under pressure. Did you consider the attention span of the children? Please, do you think you can engage the children till 4.00 pm and they will grasp whatever you are teaching them? 3. Remember, we are dying young because we are not having time for leisure. Competition is good but not to the detriment of your health. Heard of footballer Batistuta of Argentina? The pressure on him made him over worked and he is calling on doctors to amputate his leg. This is what pressure can do. 4. Another consequence is that the children will be playing truancy which will have a negative effect on their life. The intention of extending the contact hours will backfire. 5. Indirectly Sir, you are turning the teachers into babysitters for the parents since they are in their offices and businesses looking for big time money while the government pays pittance to the teachers. Mr. Minister, talk to educational psychologists, educationists and people involved in the education of the children to get details involved. This is not medicine where you bulldoze your way through. Thank you .
Has he thought of the distance sometimes students travel to school(Go to the hinterlands)? Did he consider the traffic congestion on our roads? Has he forgotten that some of the students are given homework to do at home? Most politicians have cars and drivers who pick their children from school on daily basis. Mr. minister, i will plead with you to reconsider your proposal and stop playing with your emotions.
THE PROBLEM WITH GHANA'S EDUCATION IS AT THE PRIMARY SCHOOL LEVEL, WHICH IS THE FOUNDATION FOR ANY SUCCESSFUL ACADEMIC LIFE. CLOSING AT 4PM IS NOT THE SOLUTION MR. MINISTER! 42,000 TEACHERS TEACHING 650,000 PUPILS AT THE LOWER PRIMARY (1 TEACHER: 15 PUPILS)?? REALLY? THERE IS NO PUBLIC SCHOOL IN GHANA TODAY THAT HAS LESS THAN 50 PUPILS TO A TEACHER.IF THESE FIGURES CHURNED OUT BY THE MINISTER ARE TRUE, THEN THIS IS WHERE THE PROBLEM IS. IT MEANS MORE THAN HALF OF THESE TEACHERS ARE EITHER NOT AT POST OR ARE UNEVENLY DISTRIBUTED. WE NEED NOT GO TOO FAR FOR SOLUTIONS. LET'S LEARN FROM THE PRIVATE SCHOOLS, WHICH HAVE 80% OF THEIR TEACHERS NOT TRAINED TEACHERS AND PAID LESS AS COMPARED TO THEIR COLLEAGUES IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR, YET THEY CONTINUE TO PRODUCE THE BEST RESULTS AT ALL LEVELS. THE SCHOOL PROPRIETOR IS RIGHT AT THE SCHOOL THERE PROVIDING STRICT SUPERVISION, WITH AUTHORITY TO DISCIPLINE AND DISMISS NON-PERFORMING TEACHERS.80-90% OF 5-6YEAR OLD PUPILS IN MOST PRIVATE SCHOOL ARE ABLE TO READ SIMPLE STORY BOOKS AND WRITE SIMPLE SENTENCES AND THESE ARE BENCHMARKS THAT ARE USED TO ACCESS TEACHERS AT THAT LEVEL. WITHOUT STRICT SUPERVISION, HOLDING TEACHERS TO STRICT STANDARD PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS, STRICT DECENTRALIZED DISCIPLINE, INCLUDING DISMISSAL OF NON-PERFORMING TEACHERS IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOL, CLOSING AT 4PM WILL NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM MR. MINISTER!
i do not see the least sense in the closing time proposal. kids as they are, cannot concentrate for that long period. is the minister planning to kill my kids ? my kids do not partake in any holiday classes and yet they are very good by all standards. they close at two and come home very tired.Nappo shd get better things doing for the schools. am not a politician pls. when they are hungry within those extra periods, who feeds them ? give me a break.
Why is it that every government want Ghanaians to suffer and take less pay. Are you paying teachers extra, dont you know teachers do lesson notes and mark pupil books. THINK about how to improve the quality of education by providing more resources and incentives for teachers. Now school will start at 7am and close at 4pm that is 9hours. Normal working hours 9hours so why should kids spend 9hours in school. Electricity and fuel price is killing our businesses and Nana pretends he doesnt know. Togo and Ivory Coast dont have oil but electricity and petrol is more cheaper than Ghana. 2020 is not far oooo hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
still 2pm. as for this, we no go gree..
Is the goverment ready to pay the extra 2 hours they are going to demand the teachers to stay and teach? Almost all the teachers, as far as I know, have part time job after 2 pm to keep body and soul together, so to keep him in for additional 2 hours means they should be paid. The government should not force it on them.
Already most basic schools are closing at 4pm.The only difference now will be it is government policy,and shall not attract 'extra classes fees'. 2. At most PTA Meetings ,whatparents are often told is that 'student to teacher' population is about 1: Above normal class size (60 and 70 plus). Hence teachers are overworked, and therefore are unable to mark classwork and homeworks.Thus extra classes fees are to motivate teachers to cope with the 'overwork'.So 'poor'parents are coerced to pay 'extra' for this non-performing 'teachers'. Supervision must be heightened to make teachers who accept to work in government schools to perform.Or be sacked. Perfmance must match retension and promotion. This was the practice in the 60/70s even with Cert A Teachers. Government must not condone mediocrity, and jeopardize the future of our youth.By no means must teachers be paid for ineffectiveness and inefficiency at the Basic levels.