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• OKOROMANSAH 6 days ago

  Little wonder!
  I just came across a clip from parliament where in answer to a member's enquiry on Capitation Grant, the minister of education was claiming that GHC72 million had been allocated - in fact disbursed - to cater ...
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  Little wonder!
  I just came across a clip from parliament where in answer to a member's enquiry on Capitation Grant, the minister of education was claiming that GHC72 million had been allocated - in fact disbursed - to cater for 6 million pupils in our Basic Schools, for which reason any headteacher who asks pupils to pay any Exams Fees would be sanctioned. After the minister's delivery, the Speaker asked the questioner whether he had any follow on.
  
  Surprisingly the enquirer answered: "No, Mr Speaker!" And there was no contribution from other members of the house! On reflection, one could conclude that our honourable members were just scared by the million! Probably if the minister had just quoted GHC72 for every 6 pupils, members could have come out with 72 divided by 6 = GHC12.00 per student. But dividing GHC72 million by 6 million was not something that any normal person could tackle, without the use of a computer.
  
  For lack of sane mathematical reasoning, the Minister of Education got away with murder of our education system! How did he feel comfortable announcing to the whole nation that GHC12.00 per pupil was enough even to buy white board markers for their schools, let alone cover examination fees? (The last time I checked, a single whiteboard marker was selling for GHC5.00).
  
  By the way, I am told the Capitation Grant is not supposed to cover examination fees! It is rather for minor repairs in schools as well as headteachers' administrative expenses. Just the least of Mathematical perception is all that was required of our parliamentarians to have sliced through the minister's big English, no sense delivery!
  
  For the past couple of decades, every student aspires to study towards "Political Science" as a means to join the elite of society - the politicians. To most people, Mathematics has no place in politics this side of civilization. Present day policy makers themselves attach no importance to Mathematics in d education of the future leaders of our nation. Until this trend is reversed, we will continue to lose out on the race to development in the modern world.
  
  WE must restructure the teaching of Mathematics in our schools if we are to get anywhere. From KG, kids must be helped to learn about Mathematics as the bedrock of everything worth learning, and that gaining the fundamentals in Mathematics is all that is required to succeed in academics and also in future life. Our approach should help banish the idea that Mathematics is a difficult subject: it is the easiest subject to learn and apply.
  
  Schools must be encouraged to establish Mathematical hubs and clubs to help with the teaching and learning of the subject. Our teachers must put in just a little extra effort now to encourage our kids to have some affinity to Mathematics, and we can hope to reap huge consequences in no time.
  
  As to our Minister of Education, we can only say that he and his colleague ministers must work harder at their posts to offer better quality leadership to our people. Education, as the gateway to the future development of a country such as ours, requires its leaders to be well educated individuals who have a foresight into where the country is going. Before he takes the podium anywhere, he must do proper research on whatever he intends to say. He is the sure role model to all students, and he cannot fail the nation!

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