General News of Wednesday, 23 August 2017

Source: atinkaonline.com

Studying 10 subjects at basic school is academic torture – GNAT charges

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General Secretary of Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), David Ofori Acheampong has also condemned the examinable nine or ten subjects studied by pupils of the basic school, describing it as “academic torture”

According to him, such a call is needed and long overdue. For that matter the country needs a national agenda for education and decide on what exactly is good for our students and not let children who between the ages of six and twelve learn 9,10,11 subjects.

Mr. Acheampong, submitted this at Greater Accra GNAT’s 5th Quadrennial Regional Delegates Conference under the theme “Transforming Societies Through Education Under the Agenda 2030: 60 Years of Ghana’s Education System; Educating for Certification or Educating for Self-Sustaining Life Transformation”.

And that there is evidence of pupils having problems of reading, understanding basic concepts of science and learning and understanding our history as a people, definitely we ought to reduce the subjects.

Some dignitaries who graced the occasion were Greater Accra Regional Minister, Ishmael Ashitey, Greater Accra Regional Director of Education, Dr. Peter Attafuah and other district and metro directors.

He added that the teachers are ever ready to take whatever licensing exams the government deems it necessary to write. However, he asked that the National Teaching Council should come out with the modalities.

Aside, he disagreed with the Minister of Education for coming out that the delivery hours at the basic schools would be extended to 4 pm – saying there is no scientific evidence to the effect that longer stay in the classroom would improve the basic education.