According to a 2013/2014 report by the UNESCO global monitoring team, about 250 million Children are not learning basic skill, even though half of them spent at least four years in school, in another report by the World Bank world development team 2018, among grade 6 students in West and Central Africa in 2014, less than 45% reached the “sufficient competency level for continuing studies in reading or mathematics”
If these numbers don’t say anything at all it points out the fact that we as a continent have failed or is failing to educate our children to become globally competitive and to take over the helms of business, governance, education, and health. Systemic racism is still prevalent in today’s governance to the detriment of children whose only fault is to be born into a particular tribe, socio-economic class, region, political affiliation and religion. Education has so much been politicized that certain regions, communities and villages are known to tip towards a particular political divide are left out in the equal distribution of educational opportunities that will enhance access! Educational opportunities like the provision of Curriculum-based teaching and learning materials (CBTLMs), nationalized educational games and activities like quizzes, field trip so, exchange programs, excursions and school visits by subject experts, professionals and politicians.
In this 21st century, certain subjects like Science, technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) are still taught theoretically with little or no practicals! Those who have the chance to practicalise these contents are those endowed schools who have the toolset to make it happen. This wouldn’t be much of a problem if the percentage of those receiving practical content is high against those who don’t. The majority of these children who don’t have access to such practical content are in underserved communities and towns in Ghana whose economic climate leaves parents with no choice than to place their wards in government and rundown private schools within their means. The effect? worrying! as most teachers in these classrooms are not well trained, lack important skills like Analyticity, Systematicity, Inquisitiveness, Open-mindedness, Truth-seeking, Self-confidence and Maturity; a 21st century critical thinking disposition that must be honed in our future leaders if they must useful to the world, are not as passionate as they began their teaching career and are not skilled to use certain technologies in their classrooms.
Children have a right to access an excellent education, it should not be a privilege of a select few. Educators, government, corporations, institutions, firms, schools, parents, teachers, individuals have a collective social responsibility to ensure that this injustice is nibed in the bud!
#iamforeducationalequity #iamforpracticalscienceeducation #iamteachforghana #Projectclassroomgh
Darlington Nuwertey-Djieagu.
Teach for Ghana Fellow & Co-founder of Project Classroom Ghana.
Facebook: Godways Nuwertey
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Project Classroom Ghana 