A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana Prof. Akilagpa Sawyerr is less concerned about the debate over the number of years students must spend at the Senior High School (SHS) level.

Despite the controversy surrounding the topic over the number of years is best for students to come out well prepared for the tertiary level, the former member of the Council of State said stakeholders should give priority to content.

“The content and delivery is my concern,” the recipient of the Companion of the Order of the Volta in 2007 told Starr Chat host Bola Ray, Wednesday.

According to him, once the content is solid, the number of years one has to spend at the SHS level do not matter because whatever the case, “You can do it in three or four years.”

“I’m less concerned about how long the period is. The planning and commitment is most important. Not enough of it is being felt,” the chairman of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences stressed.

The father of two identified the Education Ministry as the most “complex and so important” when he was asked to assess the performance of the current minister of the sector Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang.

Prof. Sawyerr described the “current status of education in Ghana as worrying,” adding, “it looks like a number of things haven’t gone quite right... Quality of pre-university education leaves much to be desired. I’m not satisfied.”

He called on teachers to be committed since they play a crucial role in the education sector. “The quality of any educational institution first of all depends on the commitment of those who manage it. The key thing is they must be committed... We do, but not everywhere.”

PROFILE

He was born on March 24 1939. He is a former vice chancellor of the University of Ghana (1985-92), and a former member of the Council of State. He is currently the chairman of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was honored with the Companion of The Order of the Volta in 2007.

He holds a Doctor of the Science of Jurisprudence (JSD) - Univ. of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall (1972), Master of Laws (LL.M.) - Univ. of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall (1967) (American Jurisprudence Prize), Master of Laws (LL.M.) – School of Oriental and African Studies, Univ. of London (1965), Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) – Kings College, Univ. of Durham (1962), Cambridge Higher School Certificate - Achimota School (1958) Cambridge School Certificate - Achimota School (1956).