Ghana is producing quantity education - Educationist

The Northern regional Director of Education, Mr. Paul Apanga has rubbished Ghana’s education system and described it as producing quantity education instead of quality education.

Mr. Apanga, who spoke at a stakeholders’ meeting held in Bolgatanga, called for an integrated and proactive approach by all stakeholders to tackle the problem.

The occasion was for Action Aid Ghana to launch a new intervention program dubbed, “Access to Quality Basic Education and Economic Empowerment of Women and Youth.”

Recounting some of the challenges facing the education sector, he cited overcrowding in classrooms in public schools as clear indications of failure hence poor performance by pupils and students in external examinations.

Mr. Apanga said when about 80 to 120 pupils were assigned to a teacher in a classroom, there would be no quality education and that the downward trend could have negative implication on the quality of the human resource base required by the country to enhance productivity.

Another major problem, he mentioned, was the weak foundation laid at the pre-school and basic levels. He expressed the hope that AAG’s new intervention to build new day care centres kindergartens in the Northern, the Upper East and the Upper West regions would help address some of the problems.

He appealed to the stakeholders at the launch including Municipal, Metropolitan and District Chief Executives, Regional and District Directors of Education, District Assembly Coordinators and Planners, Civil Society Organizations and AAG partners to take the opportunity provided by AAG to help arrest the falling standards of education in the country.

Components in the project which is designed for the Northern, Upper and Upper West regions would include the building of Early Childhood Day Care centres, kindergartens, ultra-modern youth centre, rice mills among others.

The Country Director of AAG, Mr. Sumaila Abdul-Rahman, said the project, which has an implementing duration of one year, is valued at €1 million, and funded by an Italian philanthropist who does not want his identity disclosed.

Mr. Saani Mohammed Yakubu, Deputy Country Director of AAG, said Talensi, Nabdam, Pusiga, Bawku West and Binduri districts are to benefit from the project.

He said AAG would use the project as a test case and when successful, it would be replicated in other areas of the country as well as encourage the government and other stakeholders to adopt it.

The Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Mr. Daniel Syme who launched the project, acknowledged the contributions of the NGO, particularly in the provision of education infrastructure; construction of dams, improved livelihoods for women, the youth and advocating for the formulation and implementation of good policies.

He called on the Municipal and District Assemblies to be active in supporting the NGO to implement all the packages in the project.