Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), Professor Anamuah-Mensah, has backed the need for a review of primary and secondary education in Ghana along with rapid, well-considered steps to save it from collapse.
According to him, a large percentage of kids are not reading and writing at grade level due to a lack of resources, including experienced instructors using the appropriate methodology.
Accordingly, if you are in class three, you must read books from that level, yet the majority read novels from class one, and a select few read books from class two, he said.
"We advocated for universal computer literacy, yet in certain Junior High Schools (JHS), there are no computers available for use. So, what exactly do you teach?
Do you assist them in acquiring digital knowledge? He asked.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Prof. Anamuah-Mensah attributed the predicament on teachers' inadequate preparation for the new standard-based basic school curriculum.
Even while the new curriculum's structure and goals have the potential to revolutionise elementary education, the situation will remain fragile if teachers are not given the required training.
"What is being done needs to be directed so that the teachers who are teaching are very comfortable and confident in teaching what they are teaching, they are using the right approaches and pedagogies to do it, they have the resources that they need to do it, and they have the knowledge and skills they need to do it," the ministry's and parents' assistance in carrying out their duties," he added.
Prof. Anamuah-Mensah said that at the secondary education level, there were structural issues that went beyond the shortage of resources and contributed to many pupils failing their exams.
He claimed that because JHS was a component of elementary school, the kids tended to think in that way and found it difficult to adjust to senior high school
The previous Vice Chancellor emphasised that "it is like a totally new environment since the curriculum is different from what they were doing."
In order to realign pupils' thinking, he argued for a restructure of secondary education that would add JHS to SHS.
Since they have advanced to a higher level in the Senior School, students will be aware from Junior High School that they are not actually a member of the elementary school.
"So JHS need to have amenities like SHS. They ought to have teachers who are certified to teach JHS and even SHS, he remarked.
Prof. Anamuah-Mensah supported the efforts being made by Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education, to implement a similar system. He commended their efforts.