Educationist advocates new policy on admissions
An educationist has called for the formulation of a national policy to enjoin well-endowed educational institutions to admit a proportion of students from deprived areas.
Professor Daniel Obeng-Ofori, Deputy Provost, College of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences of the University of Ghana, said this would help reduce gender disparities and inequity in access to secondary education for children from deprived and disadvantaged areas.
The educationist made the call when he addressed staff and students of Presbyterian Senior High School at a lecture on the theme: “enhancing human development through quality education”, at Bechem, Tano South District Capital, in the Brong-Ahafo region.
The annual lecture dubbed: “Gyebour-Yirenkyi appreciation lectures”, was jointly organised by old students and Board of Directors of the school.
It was in honour of the late Nana Fosu Gyeabour II, founder of the school, and Mr. Kwasi Awuku Yirenkyi, first head master, for their contribution to the development of the educational institution.
Prof. Obeng-Ofori, a past student of the school, noted that currently more than 80 per cent of all university enrolment was from the few well-endowed schools and that was contributing to the “perpetuation of a class society in Ghana”.
He said the educational system require good teachers, infrastructure and resourced laboratories to help the youth to acquire skills, competences and values to enable them to cope with challenges of life.
He said that lack of textbooks, teaching and learning materials affected education.
Prof. Obeng-Ofori recommended that teaching instructional materials be revised to include perspectives in gender equality, peace building and environmental protection.
He noted that weak functional capacity in the education system continued to be a barrier to achieving human development objectives and enhancing quality education.
Prof. Obeng-Ofori said: “It is very crucial to promote the professional development of teachers to enhance the management capacity of teacher training institutions to deliver quality service to the populace”.
He called for the restructuring of the education reforms to include universally desirable values to ensure the training of the youth to become useful citizens.
Prof. Obeng-Ofori advised students to exhibit high sense of morality and entreated parents to ensure the development of their children.
“The dominant culture promoted by global cultural forces through internet and sophisticated communication technologies is eroding good, useful and positive traditional values”, he stressed.
Prof. Obeng-Ofori asked students to be disciplined and to avoid materialism prevalent among some youth.
Mr. Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, Regional Minister, also a past student of the school, expressed concern about the increased moral decadence in some missionary educational institutions, and charged school authorities to work hard to change the trend.
Mr. Nyamekye-Marfo advised students to study hard and pass their examinations to justify investments being made in their education by their parents and Government.
He said Government would complete the on-going dinning hall project at the school, started under the previous administration and build another one to enable the school to admit more students.
Mr. Kwame Boakye Yiadom, headmaster, said the school that started in 1966 with 68 students currently has 1,084 students.
Source: GNA