Educationist proposes hard-line action

Legon (Greater Accra) 11 January 2002 - Professor Josephus Anamua-Mensah, Principal of the University College of Education, Winneba, has called for zero tolerance for failures in schools.

He said schools that fell below standards should face consequences such as reconstitution or dismissal of staff, but was quick to add that those doing a good job should be rewarded.

Prof Anamua-Mensah made the call in an address at the first quadrennial national delegates conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) at the University of Ghana, Legon, on Thursday.

The theme of the conference, the 48th in a series and the first this year, was, "Fifteen years of new educational reforms - The way forward."

This, he said, need the adoption of standard based education, which demanded schools to be accountable for results of their students, and also requiring the attainment of targets for each primary, junior secondary school (JSS) and senior secondary school (SSS).

Prof Anamua-Mensah said the suggestion was necessary, as it would make teachers to monitor the progress of pupils and allow head teachers to assess the quality of work done by the teachers.

In furtherance of the zero tolerance for the failures, he said remedial work for those who fall bellow desired standards should be made compulsory at all levels of basic education.

He also said a total of 1,792,000 SSS and JSS leavers who did not gain admission to tertiary institutions were left to roam the streets, "we seem to be creating a group of disillusioned citizens."

Prof Anamua-Mensah said majority remained unemployed or became street children, while others could learn to become armed robbers.

He said available data showed that out of an average of 200,000 JSS students who pass out every year since 1990 only about 72,000 gained admission into senior secondary schools, while about 10,000 get into technical institutes and vocational/technical schools. This leaves a total of 118,000 on the street every year and for the past 12 years this gave a total of 1,416,000.

Similarly, out of about 72,000 students graduating each year since 1992/93 academic year, only about 25,000 gained access to Universities, polytechnics, teacher training colleges and other tertiary institutions, leaving about 47,000 unattended to each year.

Prof Anamua-Mensah said for the last eight years, about 376,000 secondary school leavers found themselves outside the walls of the educational system with no employable skills. Put together, the total number of SSS and JSS leavers left to roam in the streets came to 1,792,000.

He advocated the establishment of community colleges for those who could not gain admission to other institutions for apprenticeship courses in various trades.

Prof Anamua-Mensah said "in a knowledge-based economy, we owe every youngster an education that will qualify him/her to enter a tertiary institution."

He said to promote the ECOWAS Agenda, the teaching of French language in schools must be compulsory, adding that entrepreneurship education should be part of the school curriculum for students to have the relevant expertise to set up their businesses.

He further suggested that GNAT should be part of the certification process of teachers as in the case of other professions. Mr John Budu-Smith, Acting Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES) who presided endorsed proposal for stringent actions against schools that turn out failures, saying it was the only way to instil discipline and upgrade standards.

He said the GES was also working hard to reduce ghost names so that monies accruing from the exercise would be channelled to other areas needing financial support.

Mr Budu-Smith said the GES was trying to get graduates at the basic level as the future of the country's human resource must be developed at that level.