Ghana: Blame game over falling education standards
PHOTO | FILE
Pupils in a Ghanaian school enjoy a meal. Teacher absenteeism, poverty and cultural impediments are being cited for an alarming dip in education standards in the West African country.
ACCRA, Sunday
All is not well with Ghana’s educational system, even though the government is beating its chest that it has achieved much in the provision of classrooms and other basic needs.
The main teachers’ organisation, Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), says the country is not getting the right mix in order to improve education in the country.
A blame game has ensued between GNAT and the government, as the country’s educational system continues to be on a downward trend over the past few years.
The teachers say they are not to blame but the government because a lot has gone wrong.
“If you employ teachers who work for several months without pay, when you increase enrolment and do not match that with the required infrastructure, you cannot expect any improvement in the system,” GNAT general secretary, Irene Duncan-Adanusa, told a meeting with journalists in Accra.
President Atta Mills said: “In the city of Accra, for example, efforts have been made to bring an end to the school shift system that has been a drawback in the fight for quality education.”
