An Educationist Mr. Osei Tutu has stated that, for Ghana to be the true gateway to Africa and play a key role in the economic renaissance of the continent, there needs to be a radical overhaul, re-analysis, and re-appraisal of the current education system.
Mr. Osei Tutu in an interview on Plan B FM’s morning show NKOSUSNSEM hosted by Obidehye Kofi Sekyi, stressed that there are many flaws in the current education system in Ghana.
“The key ones that have been identified include. The education system is too European-orientated. The current education system teaches Ghanaians as a whole to become consumers rather than producers and creates a dependency culture. The education system results in many of it products wanting to leave Ghana for the West. The current education system tends to concentrate more on theory as opposed to practical application.
The current system of education does not equip Ghanaians with the core skills that are imperative in the global context” he explained
He also noted that “before we deal with each of the above systematically, we need to note that when we are dealing with any given situation it is important to analyze it from a holistic perspective looking at it from a past, present, and future paradigm” he added
Meanwhile, a statesman and the founder of the African University College of Communications (AUCC), Kojo Acquah Yankah, is calling for a national dialogue to propose reforms in Ghana’s education system.
Mr. Yankah contends that the current educational system is obsolete, colonial, and not suitable for driving the much-desired development needed in Ghana.
Presenting a paper on October 26 at the 8th R.T. Orleans-Pobee Memorial Lectures on the theme “Is Today’s Education Relevant? A new look at Adisadel,” the scholar said Ghana needs to reform its educational system because the purpose of the current one left by the British is “largely the remolding of the African child.”
Mr. Yankah referenced the works of scholars, including that of Mark Malisa on education and servitude.
The curriculum, often imported from either Britain or North America, was intentionally designed to produce Africans who would have an inferiority complex when it came to their interaction with Europeans. In addition, such educated Africans were to be content working for Europeans, and when placed in positions of authority, would ensure that other Africans continued to serve the interests of the colonizer.”
“The colonizer’s educational goal was to expose Africans to a superior culture. Colonizers thought education would bring Africans into the modern world and elevate them to a higher level of civilization.”
He further bemoaned what he refers to as an abandonment of Ghanaian culture and values.
“We are not proud of our rich indigenous cultures and values (religion, language, dress codes). Until recently, we used to pour libations at national events; now, even in some of our homes and traditional palaces, we have abandoned or banned our ancestors whom God gave us to give birth to us and sustain us throughout our lives until they passed on.”
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