Ghana’s education system kills creative thinking – Kinna Likimani

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yam 10 years ago

wow. what a great piece of thought.We need to change the education system.A lot of doctors are selling dog chains on the street because of our education system.

wow. what a great piece of thought.We need to change the education system.A lot of doctors are selling dog chains on the street because of our education system.
Akadu Mensema 10 years ago

This reductive conclusions about our educational system must stop!

This reductive conclusions about our educational system must stop!
Zoobie-Zoobie 10 years ago

why? how? what is wrong? how can it be fixed?

why? how? what is wrong? how can it be fixed?
joe sala 10 years ago

My brother if you were aware of the Montessori approach to nursery education to start with you will not be asking those questions. Please don't expose your ignorance in public.

My brother if you were aware of the Montessori approach to nursery education to start with you will not be asking those questions. Please don't expose your ignorance in public.
Nana Yaw, Boston. 10 years ago

Listen to that bigot. Where have you been since Atta Mills died? Mahama has pushed you under the table.

Listen to that bigot. Where have you been since Atta Mills died? Mahama has pushed you under the table.
MARCUS AMPADU 10 years ago

Please explain what you mean.
What conclusions can you draw from the writings and level of thinking of some of your fellow forummers?

Please explain what you mean.
What conclusions can you draw from the writings and level of thinking of some of your fellow forummers?
GHFUO, be serious & change ur MENtali 10 years ago

OUR STYLE OF EDUCATION IS TOO RIGID TO FOSTER CREATIVITY. CREATIVE NATIONS ARE INNOVATIVE N CREATE GOODS/SERVICES. IN GH,IF U ARE NOT A SCIENCE/BUSINESS STUDENT U HVE NO FUTURE. CONSTANT REGRGITATE EDUCATION IS USELESS. THE M ...
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OUR STYLE OF EDUCATION IS TOO RIGID TO FOSTER CREATIVITY. CREATIVE NATIONS ARE INNOVATIVE N CREATE GOODS/SERVICES. IN GH,IF U ARE NOT A SCIENCE/BUSINESS STUDENT U HVE NO FUTURE. CONSTANT REGRGITATE EDUCATION IS USELESS. THE MIN OF EDUCATION SHOULD BRING IN YOUTH TEACHERS FROM WESTERN NATIONS TO TEACH IN GH. GH EDUCATION LACKS CREATIVITY. WEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, I WAS WRITING JOURNALS, DOING RESEARCH WORK, INDEPENDENT STUDY, WRITING THESIS STATEMENTS ALL IN HIGH SCHOOL. IN GH, YOU WOULD BE DOING THESE IN UNIVERSITY....! THE MIN OF EDUCATION/GES IN GH MUST EXAMINE THE SYLABUS IN WESTERN HIGH SCHOOLS. TAILOR THE GH SYLLABUS TO THEIRS AND MAKE THE NECESSARY AMENDMENTS. SO GH KIDS CAN START BEING MORE ANALYTICAL, QUESTION THEORIES EVEN BEFORE THEY APPLY TO UNIVERSITY/POLY
KnYc 10 years ago

There is no critical thinking in our education system. She 100% right, if you compare student from Ghana who comes to U.S. to study, they lack critical thinking ideas of their own when it comes to discussion on a topic. This ...
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There is no critical thinking in our education system. She 100% right, if you compare student from Ghana who comes to U.S. to study, they lack critical thinking ideas of their own when it comes to discussion on a topic. This is the reason we lack development in Ghana, many people in Ghana can not make decision on their own, lack the confidence to analysis things and make a conclusion on his or her own. This is what we call critical thinking in school, able to make a decision and stand by it or claim it has your own. This is what been teach in western world. Not chew and pour.
Ibrahim basiru 10 years ago

Which country did you do your high school?

Which country did you do your high school?
GHFUO, be serious & change ur MENtali 10 years ago

IBRAHIM, I WAS BORN IN TORONTO. ATTENDED O LEVELS IN GH N CAME BACK TO TORONTO TO COMPLETE HIGH SCHOOL N UNIVERSITY....

IBRAHIM, I WAS BORN IN TORONTO. ATTENDED O LEVELS IN GH N CAME BACK TO TORONTO TO COMPLETE HIGH SCHOOL N UNIVERSITY....
mensah abrampa 10 years ago

You're right to a large extent but I do believe the US model is perhaps not the best for us since educational standards there have taken a plunge the last couple of years. How about India, Singapore, Malaysia, China and Germa ...
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You're right to a large extent but I do believe the US model is perhaps not the best for us since educational standards there have taken a plunge the last couple of years. How about India, Singapore, Malaysia, China and Germany? Improved education has surely impacted their industrialization and accelerated their development. The US system could be useful in a way or two so we might as well take a look at it too. We can adopt what is best and common to all these countries as well as what is best and peculiar to each of these countries. Our education system surely could use huge doses of bold innovations. A complete overhaul of a dying system is what is needed. We must not forget art and designing for ghanaians surely lack innovation and creativity.
GHFUO, be serious & change ur MENtali 10 years ago

IN AMERICA, IF U DONT HVE MONEY OR INVEST TIME AS A PARENT TO EDUCATE UR KIDS. DONT RELY ON THE PUBLIC SCH SYSTEM T DO A GOOD JOB EDUCATING UR KIDS. THIS IS WHY THEY HVE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION FOR MINORITY KIDS. CANADA HAS BETTER ...
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IN AMERICA, IF U DONT HVE MONEY OR INVEST TIME AS A PARENT TO EDUCATE UR KIDS. DONT RELY ON THE PUBLIC SCH SYSTEM T DO A GOOD JOB EDUCATING UR KIDS. THIS IS WHY THEY HVE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION FOR MINORITY KIDS. CANADA HAS BETTER QUALITY EDUCATION. COMPARATIVELY, CANADIAN KIDS IN HIGH SCHOOLS ARE FAR SMARTER THAN THEIR US COUNTERPARTS...I TAUGHT AT A PS IN HARLEM YRS BACK HELPING HI SCH KIDS PREPARE FOR UNIVERSITY. IT WAS HORRIBLE TO SEE THE READING, ANALYTIC LEVEL OF THESE KIDS. SOME COULDNT EVEN READ. PUBLIC SCHOOL EDUCATION IN INNER CITY AMERICA IS ATROCIOUS
GHANAian 10 years ago

WHAT THE LADY WROTE IS VERY RIGHT.
SIMPLE ILLUSTRATION: GHANAIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM ONLY PRODUCE PAPER CERTIFICATE HOLDERS. NOT THINKERS.
LOOK AT OUR GHANAIAN SOCIETY, BOTH IN GHANA AND OUTSIDE AND COUNT HOW MANY PROFESSORS. ...
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WHAT THE LADY WROTE IS VERY RIGHT.
SIMPLE ILLUSTRATION: GHANAIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM ONLY PRODUCE PAPER CERTIFICATE HOLDERS. NOT THINKERS.
LOOK AT OUR GHANAIAN SOCIETY, BOTH IN GHANA AND OUTSIDE AND COUNT HOW MANY PROFESSORS. HOW MANY DOCTORS(NOT MEDICINE)NAMES CAN YOU FIND. WHAT HAVE THOSE PROFESSORS CREATED?? OR INVENTED?? HOW CAN WE SIT ON GOLD, OIL, COCOA AND STILL THE COUNTRY IS POOR!!
LET ME GIVE YOU ONE SIMPLE EXAMPLE FROM A FRIEND.
THIS FRIEND IS IN EUROPE. HIS FATHER DIED. THE FAMILY DEMANDED HUGE MONEY JUST FOR THE FUNERAL.THE COST OF THE COFFIN ALONE IS UNBEARABLE. BUT THE BROTHERS OF THIS FRIEND WHOSE FATHER HAS DIED ARE CARPENTERS. THE BROTHERS OR THE FAMILY WERE DEMANDING MILLIONS OF CEDIS TO BUY JUST A COFFIN. TELL ME IF YOU WERE MY FRIEND IN EUROPE WHAT WILL YOU DO?? SIMPLE, AS MY FRIEND HAS LEARNT "BUSINESS STRATEGIES" HE JUST SENT 300 EUROS!! HOW WILL THE THREE HUNDRED EUROS GOT TO DO WITH COFFIN WHICH COST MILLIONS OF CEDIS?! SIMPLE, MY FRIEND JUST TOLD HIS BROTHERS TO USE THEIR BRAIN,-- USE AT LEAST PART OF THE MONEY TO BUY WOOD AND NAILS AND OTHER PETTY THINGS TO ADORN THE COFFIN, THEN THE CARPENTER BROTHERS PREPARE COFFIN THEMSELVES TO BURRY THEIR DEAD FATHER,!! IS THIS NOT A CREATIVE SOLUTION?? SO MY FRIEND MARCUS, GHANAIAN EDUCATION KILLS CREATIVITY AND THE LADY WAS RIGHT.
MARCUS AMPADU 10 years ago

Which lady are you referring to?
Kinna Likimani or Akadu Mensema?
Lack of evidence based reading ability.
Reason why I'm calling for complete overhaul of our educational system.

Which lady are you referring to?
Kinna Likimani or Akadu Mensema?
Lack of evidence based reading ability.
Reason why I'm calling for complete overhaul of our educational system.
joe sala 10 years ago

Reductive Conclusions??? What do you mean??? Very serious and forward thinking people in our society have advocated a rethink of our education system for years and let me tell you something, they know what they are talking a ...
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Reductive Conclusions??? What do you mean??? Very serious and forward thinking people in our society have advocated a rethink of our education system for years and let me tell you something, they know what they are talking about. We live in a country bereft of ideas and its all because we are still stuck in the archaic and rigid style of teaching which doesn't promote analytical and creative thinking. And sadly you can't see that. You see what the strickly 3Rs system had done to you!!!!!!!!
Sankofa 10 years ago

Akadu 'Brofoyedur' Mensema, what do you mean by 'this reductive conclusions'?

It makes no sense to me.

Akadu 'Brofoyedur' Mensema, what do you mean by 'this reductive conclusions'?

It makes no sense to me.
Nana Yaw, Boston. 10 years ago

Ghana has no education system. What we have is reading and writing under trees. Well said Likimani.

Ghana has no education system. What we have is reading and writing under trees. Well said Likimani.
MARCUS AMPADU 10 years ago

We do need a massive educational reform.
Instead we are spending an inordinate amount of time an energy on frivolous debates on whether 3 or 4 years should be the ideal number of years our secondary students should spend in ...
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We do need a massive educational reform.
Instead we are spending an inordinate amount of time an energy on frivolous debates on whether 3 or 4 years should be the ideal number of years our secondary students should spend in school before they graduate, and worthless, politically motivated debates on free SHS.

It really is obscene that we have injected politics into how we want to educate our young ones, from primary to secondary; forgetting the fact that the vast majority of them can't read, write, compute, or think critically. And worst of all they are not to be patriotic.

Since successive governments have failed to reform our educational system, tailored to provide quality instructions to all our young people, concerned educationists, parents, and NGO's like the Maasem Foundation should rally and present a blue-print of a reformed educational system for the nation.
Conventional Youth 10 years ago

(Y) Ghana’s Educational System Does Not Promote & Project “Creativity, Research, Innovation & Development” CRID 8-)
It’s bout time wards are Empowered, Educated and Enlightened to reflect, respond and react towards G ...
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(Y) Ghana’s Educational System Does Not Promote & Project “Creativity, Research, Innovation & Development” CRID 8-)
It’s bout time wards are Empowered, Educated and Enlightened to reflect, respond and react towards Ghana’s socio-economic needs. Early introduction & impact oriented schemes in “Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths ,Innovation, Communication Skills & systems” STEMICs would Encourage the robust and sustainable development of Ghana’s resources & it’s communities to the dynamism & standard it deserves.
According to Likimani, “…when we talk about not Achieving, not Being Assertive, Not Being Creative, a lot of that is Rooted in how we are Educated. And our Education system actually lowers our creativity”. =D

She bemoaned the situation where “children are not inspired to continue to be children”, when they start schooling.
Kwabena 10 years ago

You have pragmatic & critical points C.Y. Hope our policials read and analyse contributions from volunteers like you, Well done.

You have pragmatic & critical points C.Y. Hope our policials read and analyse contributions from volunteers like you, Well done.
Tekonline.org 10 years ago

A massive reform is long overdue. And once the reform has been implemented, there would have to be curriculum review every 5 years. In fact, for some sectors, 5 years might be too long. (In Silicon Valley, 5 years would be co ...
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A massive reform is long overdue. And once the reform has been implemented, there would have to be curriculum review every 5 years. In fact, for some sectors, 5 years might be too long. (In Silicon Valley, 5 years would be considered eternity)!

The world is changing at a much more rapid pace than ever. Medical school curriculum would need annual reviews. Also true for Engineering. Some ivy-league universities in fact modify the computer science curriculum every semester. The field is simply too volatile.

But it is not just the curriculum that desperately needs overhauling. The way and manner of teaching and learning have to undergo a major revolution. The world today, more than ever, runs on INNOVATION. Creative thinking is mandatory at all levels.
MARCUS AMPADU 10 years ago

Thanks Tekonline for elucidating what I had in mind.
Sadly, nothing will be done; it is like talking to the wall.
Meanwhile, the world is changing every nanosecond.

Thanks Tekonline for elucidating what I had in mind.
Sadly, nothing will be done; it is like talking to the wall.
Meanwhile, the world is changing every nanosecond.
mensah abrampa 10 years ago

Yes the current education system needs massive reform. The present system is obsolete and sub-standard. Just reflect deeply on the quality of graduates the colleges are churning out and you cannot disagree we need reforms.
...
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Yes the current education system needs massive reform. The present system is obsolete and sub-standard. Just reflect deeply on the quality of graduates the colleges are churning out and you cannot disagree we need reforms.
Why did Rawlings and the nouveaux riches the bogus and corrupt system created send their children and families to be educated in the developed world? Just one look at the deplorable state of hospitals in Ghana will tell you why these same people travel to the western countries for treatment and even check up. They destroyed what was bequeathed to us with misappropriations and reverse robin hood. Ghana is 57 years old and what did we do for 57 years? Just went to sleep while the world of innovation and development passed we by. We can't be at par with progressive nations in education which is the bedrock of development if we slept while others were running and laboring. Our under-development is self inflicted and we can salvage what has been lost with massive innovation in education just to catch up.
dougi 10 years ago

this same education system has produced extremely brilliant academics and innovators across the globe.What is this lady talking about.Probably she 'chewed and poured'. I did not!

this same education system has produced extremely brilliant academics and innovators across the globe.What is this lady talking about.Probably she 'chewed and poured'. I did not!
GHFUO, be serious & change ur MENtali 10 years ago

SHOULDNT U BE IN THE MIN OF EDUCATION/GES.REMOVING THE MILDEW FROM THEIR BRAINS? INSTEAD OF REVAMPING THE ARCHAIC, ROTTEN STYLE/MODE OF EDUCATION OUR BRAIN DEAD, NON CREATIVE KIDS. THEY R SITTING THERE. FROWNING ON FREE SHS. ...
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SHOULDNT U BE IN THE MIN OF EDUCATION/GES.REMOVING THE MILDEW FROM THEIR BRAINS? INSTEAD OF REVAMPING THE ARCHAIC, ROTTEN STYLE/MODE OF EDUCATION OUR BRAIN DEAD, NON CREATIVE KIDS. THEY R SITTING THERE. FROWNING ON FREE SHS. THE MIN OF EDUCATION/GES ARE NOT FANS OF FREE SCHOOL IN GH.
Nana 10 years ago

Articles on ghanaweb re Ghana's edy-=ucational system and then youi will know that many people have raised these concerns long before you.

Articles on ghanaweb re Ghana's edy-=ucational system and then youi will know that many people have raised these concerns long before you.
KnYc(USMC) 10 years ago

Oh yes, I have been saying this all along. The chew and pour system of education is the down fall of Ghana. Critical thinking is the best.

Oh yes, I have been saying this all along. The chew and pour system of education is the down fall of Ghana. Critical thinking is the best.
gilbert 10 years ago

as acca accountant, this is the best analysis I have come across for the year on Ghana education. this is the main reason why unemployment is in ascendency.

as acca accountant, this is the best analysis I have come across for the year on Ghana education. this is the main reason why unemployment is in ascendency.
Obenfo 10 years ago

Are you a Chattered Accountant,and you write like this? Please, don't disgrace Chattered Accountants.

Are you a Chattered Accountant,and you write like this? Please, don't disgrace Chattered Accountants.
yaw 10 years ago

So you call yourself 'Obenfo', yet you criticize about somebody's writing although you could not spell the word 'chartered'. Shame!

So you call yourself 'Obenfo', yet you criticize about somebody's writing although you could not spell the word 'chartered'. Shame!
Pastor Pinanko 10 years ago

If the education system is not creative what is you suggestion? See the member of parliament in your area and give details of suggestion to him/her or send it to Minister of education for publication

If the education system is not creative what is you suggestion? See the member of parliament in your area and give details of suggestion to him/her or send it to Minister of education for publication
Prof 10 years ago

You are 100% right. In fact I have written an educational program which can be studied by distance.

The course book has been written in such a way that the student should answer some questions and return his or her answers ...
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You are 100% right. In fact I have written an educational program which can be studied by distance.

The course book has been written in such a way that the student should answer some questions and return his or her answers to the educational centre for assessment.

I tried my niece who has completed SHS but did not get certificate.

For the objectives she did well but the written, it was chew and pour.

This means that she did not answer any question in her own english without quoting from book.

Then I asked her that if she is going to write the final examination without the book, how would she be able to answer the question? She did not reply.

That is how she was taught at school.
kwesi Koln 10 years ago

These are the kind of people we need at our education ministries.

These are the kind of people we need at our education ministries.
Tekonline.org 10 years ago

Teachers also need to be creative in the way they conduct examinations.

Those in the diaspora would be familiar with "open textbook" and "take home" exams. The exam questions are such that it doesn't really matter whether ...
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Teachers also need to be creative in the way they conduct examinations.

Those in the diaspora would be familiar with "open textbook" and "take home" exams. The exam questions are such that it doesn't really matter whether you do it at home or get surrounded by a thousand textbooks. You can only be helped by DEEP THINKING, and nothing else, and they would give you all the time in the world for that thought process.

I recall one North American university that would even go further. The immunology course is taught by several professors, many showing up just once.
Some would come, teach straight from research papers not even published yet, joke a bit, and then disappear for good. And here is the shocker: at the end of the year, the entire final exam is made up of a 15-minute INTERVIEW, where three professors would cook up some far-fetched hypothetical situations. They simply want to see quickly how one could APPLY all that they had learned.

Needless to say, all students desire to pass their exams. This fact can be used to the advantage of the nation. When students realize that the ONLY way to pass an exam is by critical thinking, creativity, and innovation, teachers would see wonders!
Kwesi Atta Sakyi 10 years ago

I concur with her 100 percent. Look at our current graduates. They cant write novels or novels. Their journalists cant write properly. To cover up, they make terrible noise when on air. Empty barrels.

I concur with her 100 percent. Look at our current graduates. They cant write novels or novels. Their journalists cant write properly. To cover up, they make terrible noise when on air. Empty barrels.
Ruth 10 years ago

I am an educationist in Canada. What she says is right on. Educate according to the level of development. In Canada, we don't just assess recall of information which someone is referring to as chew and pour, we assess critica ...
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I am an educationist in Canada. What she says is right on. Educate according to the level of development. In Canada, we don't just assess recall of information which someone is referring to as chew and pour, we assess critical thinking and analysis, application, problem solving and creativity. Hence by the time a student completes his or her education he, she would have acquired these skills which are paramount to life.
Kofi B 10 years ago

"Chew and pour" is the way to get good grades in Ghana. You are expected to regurgitate pamphlets plagiarized by teachers to get ahead. Students willing to think outside the box by reading textbooks other than those imposed o ...
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"Chew and pour" is the way to get good grades in Ghana. You are expected to regurgitate pamphlets plagiarized by teachers to get ahead. Students willing to think outside the box by reading textbooks other than those imposed on them by teachers are penalized. The result, a bunch of like-minded students with limited creative thought. I for one was considered average in Ghana, but now prospering in a North American society where creativity is valued!
Pancho 10 years ago

You're right we need to go back to the old school systems("O' and "A" level system)Yes I remember reading all those Ama Atta Aidoo literature books and most of the African writers series. Shakespeare and others. Now we have k ...
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You're right we need to go back to the old school systems("O' and "A" level system)Yes I remember reading all those Ama Atta Aidoo literature books and most of the African writers series. Shakespeare and others. Now we have kids who cannot read and write so how can the be creative. When you have someone like Rawlings who I know read a lot to come to power and destroy a good educational system because some stupid officials from World Bank and IMF tells you to scrap your good system before we can give you loans then you are an idiot. Now look at our country more than useless.
GHFUO, be serious & change ur MENtali 10 years ago

I DONT THINK WE SHOULD GO BACK TO THE OLD SYSTEM, BUT ADD AN EXTRA YR OR 2 TO THE 3 YRS SHS. THIS TIME LET THIS BE WRITTEN IN LAW N PASSED BY PARLIAMENT SO NO FOOLISH GOVT CAN COME BACK N CHANGE IT. WE R HURRYING THESE KIDS T ...
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I DONT THINK WE SHOULD GO BACK TO THE OLD SYSTEM, BUT ADD AN EXTRA YR OR 2 TO THE 3 YRS SHS. THIS TIME LET THIS BE WRITTEN IN LAW N PASSED BY PARLIAMENT SO NO FOOLISH GOVT CAN COME BACK N CHANGE IT. WE R HURRYING THESE KIDS THRU 3 YR SHA FOR WAT? WE DONT HVE ENUFF ROOM IN OUR TERTIARY SCHS, POLY, JOBS ETC TO HOUSE THEM. ONCE THEY COME OUT OF 3 YR SHS. SO THEY END UP FRUSTRATED, ROBBING, PROSTITUTION, NEFARIOUS ACTIVITIES, SAKAWA ETC...WEN THEY COULD BE IN SCH STUDYING N BECOMING MORE SEASONED ANALYTICALLY. THESE R THE FUTURE LEADERS OF GH....
GonjaWura 10 years ago

Read what Bill Cosby said about Black American's educational standards in 2004 and you will be amazed to know that what he said then has a lot for Ghana.
I produce the article unedited as it appeared in The Economist July 10 ...
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Read what Bill Cosby said about Black American's educational standards in 2004 and you will be amazed to know that what he said then has a lot for Ghana.
I produce the article unedited as it appeared in The Economist July 10th 2004.

Bill Cosby has had it up to here with black street culture. ''Your dirty laundry gets out of school at 2.30pm every day,it's cursing and calling each other nigger'',he recently told a group of black leaders.''They think they're hip.They can't read:they can't write.They are laughing and giggling and they are going nowhere.''
The man who is arguably America's most admired black entertainer has turned from the long-suffering dad in ''The Cosby Show'' into a searing social critic.He dislikes entertainers who play to black stereotypes.He dislikes black street slang.""You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth''.And he dislikes parents who blanch at spending $200 on reading programmes but give their children $500 sneakers.
Good on Mr Cosby.There is something of a conspiracy of silence about blacks' dismal performance in school: silence from black leaders who don't to be accused of ''blaming the victim'',silence from teachers who don't want to draw attention to the biggest failure of American education.But the achievement gap between blacks and whites is a disgrace.
Black high-school students graduate an average of four years behind white students in basic academic skills.Most black students perform ''below basic''in five of the seven key subjects measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress.These dismal results are putting a ceiling on blacks' upward mobility-a ceiling that is getting ever lower as routine jobs are exported abroad or mechanized out of existence.
The teachers and black politicians blame three standard villains:
poverty,prejudice and school funding.A third of black children are brought up in poverty compared with just 13% of white children.Seven in ten black children attend predominantly minority schools,up from 63% in 1980; more than a third attend schools with a minority enrolment of 90-100%.But these villains nevertheless leave a lot unexplained.
Take poverty. American history is full of examples of impoverished immigrants (Jews a century ago, Asians today)who have made it from the inner city to the Ivy League.More worrying still,the achievement gap is just as marked for affluent black children as it is for poorer ones. Or take school funding.There is no simple correlation between education spending and school quality.
In ''No Excuses: Closing the Racial Gap in Learning'', perhaps the best book on this subject, Abigail and Stephen Thernstrom point out that Cambridge, Massachusetts, was left with a huge gap between black and white students despite spending $17,000 for each and every pupil.
Or take prejudice. The percentage of people who tell pollsters that they have nothing in common with people of other races has declined from 25% in 1988 to just 13% in 2003.This is partly because the difference of income between blacks and whites with the same skills in maths and literacy has almost disappeared.Yet ,over the same period,the gap in academic achievement has actually widened.
All this suggests that Mr Cosby is on the right track.Researchers routinely explain Asian children's success in terms of Asian cultural values.So why not admit that black children are failing because their culture undervalues success at school-because so many black children dream of becoming sports stars rather than professors,because bookish black children are stigmatized for ''acting white'',and because almost half of black ten-year-olds spend five hours or more each day watching television?.
Mr Cosby's diagnosis of black failure has another great merit.It comes with a remedy attached.Black America once had a flourishing tradition of self-help:the tradition of Frederick Douglass, who was born into slavery but became one of the great orators of his age,and of the army of self-educated blacks who came after him. This tradition was obscured during the civil-rights era as black leaders concentrated on dismantling the machinery of discrimination.But blacks desperately need to revive Douglass's belief in ''self-cultivation''if the civil rights revolution is to amount to something more than a hollow legal shell.
Mr Cosby is well qualified to encourage this revival.He grew up in a poor area of Philadelphia and dropped out of school to join the navy.But returned to university to take a doctorate in education,and continues to devote his energies to black improvement,writing books for pre-school readers and pouring money into black colleges.
He has drawn flak,of course.But the real problem with his broadside is that it is too narrow.It is not just black leaders who are failing to hold young blacks to higher standards.It is America in general-and above all,the educational establishment. Teachers are far willing to make excuses for black failure,and universities have institutionalized low expectations through affirmative action.Why should black children try as hard as their white peers if they can get into college with lower marks?.
There are some signs that America is trying to tackle what George Bush once described as ''the soft bigotry of low expectations''.The Thernstroms produce plenty of examples of minority schools that are raising academic performance through discipline and accountability.
The No Child Left Behind Act-perhaps Mr Bush's most underestimated achievement-is explicitly designed to close racial achievement gap through a combination of testing and penalties for poor schools.
Changing the attitudes of young blacks will not be easy.It is always tempting to idolize celebrities who get paid millions of dollars while misbehaving. And it is always tempting to blame your problems on ''society'' when ''society'' has enslaved and disenfranchised your ancestors. But one thing is certain: black America's future will remain dim unless it begins to take Mr Cosby's jeremiads in heart.
Education Minister in Ghana,take note!!!
GHFUO, be serious & change ur MENtali 10 years ago

U ARE RIGHT. THE INTRINSIC CULTURE OF CONSTANT EDUCATION AND PRACTICE IS WHAT HAS AIDED THEM. BLACKS HVE THIS MENTALITY THAT BOOKLONG IS NOT HIP. YET, THE WHITES, JEWS,ASIANS N NOW MIDDLE EASTERN KIDS ARE GETTING THE GRADES N ...
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U ARE RIGHT. THE INTRINSIC CULTURE OF CONSTANT EDUCATION AND PRACTICE IS WHAT HAS AIDED THEM. BLACKS HVE THIS MENTALITY THAT BOOKLONG IS NOT HIP. YET, THE WHITES, JEWS,ASIANS N NOW MIDDLE EASTERN KIDS ARE GETTING THE GRADES N USING THE QUOTA SYSTEM/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION RATES TO MOVE UP THE SOCIAL LADDER. IT ALL COMES DOWN TO MENTALITY AND CULTURAL ATTITUDES BETWEEN THESE RACIALISED GROUPES. I WORKED AT A PS SCHOOL IN HARLEM IN THE MID 2000S HELPING KIDS APPLY TO UNIVERSITY. IT WAS HORRIBLE THE EDUCATIONAL LEVEL OF THESE INNER CITY KIDS. NEW YORK CITY PS SCHOOL SYSTEM IS ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE.....IF U WANT UR KID TO SUCCEED IN AMERICA. MOVE TO THE SURBURBS TO A BETTER SCH DISTRICT SO UR KID CAN GO TO SCH WITH WHITE KIDS. OR ELSE...LOL FORGET IT. UR KID WILL FINISH HIGH SCHOOL AND CAN EVEN WRITE A PARAGRAPH...I SWEAR, BUT SO TRUE. GO UP NORTH TO CANADA...NIAGARA, HAMILTON, TORONTO AND THIS IS NOT THE SAME AT ALL. KIDS IN CANADA ARE MUCH SMARTER...HIGHLY EDUCATED.
Conventional Youth 10 years ago

Sure,Curriculum covers at all levels, must be reviewed with captured data professionally.

The calibre and quality of teachers Ghana produces must be considered at all level.

All must come together and move Ghana's educ ...
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Sure,Curriculum covers at all levels, must be reviewed with captured data professionally.

The calibre and quality of teachers Ghana produces must be considered at all level.

All must come together and move Ghana's education ideals forward and in the right directions.
still rastafari 10 years ago

why Ghana?all institutions dont function

why Ghana?all institutions dont function
Carol D, RPCV 10 years ago

My two years of teaching mathematics in Ghana were enlightening. The heart of education is the great A&P. Ghanaian teachers are masters at P – punishment. They should focus on A – award. They can encourage gifted students ...
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My two years of teaching mathematics in Ghana were enlightening. The heart of education is the great A&P. Ghanaian teachers are masters at P – punishment. They should focus on A – award. They can encourage gifted students by recognizing and acknowledging their talents. Teachers should challenge all students to advance their education with whatever skills they possess.

The headmasters should encourage parents to question and test their children’s education. During my two years of teaching, only one parent asked me, “How is my daughter doing?”

The experiences of Ghanaian students need many changes. The path to improvement will not be the same as the route the education systems in other countries employ. The plan will have to be uniquely Ghanaian to succeed.

Ghana’s education system kills creative thinking – Kinna Likimani

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