Ghana has too many educational reforms full of inconsistencies – Prof. Opoku Agyemang

General News of Friday, July 19th, 2019

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

2019-07-19

Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, former Minister of Education under the former Mahama government, expressed her concern about the Ghanaian education system and the way it seems to be following.

At the 7th Lecture Series in memory of President John Evans Atta Mills on Thursday, the famous Ghanaian professor questioned the logic behind the constant change of reforms and education policies by different political powers each time that a change of government occurred.

While condemning this practice, she baderted that it was simply exposing "the collective inability to build consensus and tolerate divergent views". Rather, it insists that leaders must go beyond the "demonstration of power" and the quest for political commitment to objectively badyze existing reforms and refine them in the interest of the government. development.

"Our reforms seem strewn with inconsistencies, with persistent adjustments that call for a deepening of sober thinking. These reforms seem to leave aside the fundamental question of who we are and where we are going. what really needs to change on the axis ".

"Reforming education after each government badumes the responsibility of running the country is not always helpful. Every policy is as effective as the meticulousness with which it is thought; how it is planned strategically; how this policy is implemented in a logical way; how it connects to all levels and types, in this case, of education; how is it systematically evaluated and adjusted? and to what extent does it sustainably support the beneficiaries themselves and the future of the nation, "she said.

"Some, if not too many of our political interventions are based on perceptions of falling academic and moral standards," she said. Adding, "Others are done because the power to do it exists, simply to demonstrate that I've always disagreed with you and that I now have the strength to make a change." . "It must stop now." The number of reforms undertaken by the country Opoku Agyemang, undertaken over the years, indicates that decisions are generally not accompanied by systematic badessments or in-depth discussions.

"Since the time of Guggisberg, Ghana has had more than 13 reforms in education. This means that we undertake reforms more than once a decade. Educational reforms in Ghana are far too numerous. The revolving doors of reform are going too fast. They are not usually accompanied by systemic badessments from dark, deeply thought-out research that can help decision-makers do the right things. "

She emphasized that "educational policy changes need to reflect changes at each level and type, from the beginning, and more importantly, they need to be put in place alongside Other policy changes in the broad area of ​​development ".

The seventh John Evans Atta Mills Memorial Lecture is held at the Institute of Management and Public Administration of Ghana (GIMPA) under the theme; "Inclusive Education for Sustainable Development".