PERSEVERING TOWARDS EXCELLENT EDUCATION:
THE WAY FORWARD
SPEECH DELIVERED BY PROF. J. ANAMUAH-MENSAH AT THE
3OTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF ST. MARTIN DE
PORRES SCHOOL, DANSOMAN, ACCRA, 22ND JULY 2003
Chairperson, Director, Management, Headmaster, staff, distinguished invited
guests, pupils, ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to be with you today as guest
speaker on the occasion of your 30th anniversary celebration. On an occasion
like this, marking the anniversary of the founding of St. Martin De Porres School,
it is the heartfelt desire of all of us gathered here to wish the school a happy
birthday and to hope that with each anniversary, the school will continue to
achieve its objective of turning out well educated and disciplined citizens who will
play prominent roles in the socio-economic, cultural and political development of
our dear nation.
Thirty years in the life of an institution is no mean achievement. After three
decades of existence I am sure that you have come of age as a vibrant
educational institution that is ready to offer high quality training to Ghanaians.
Please accept my congratulations. Mr. Chairman, Celebrations like this are
occasions for remembering and saluting the founders and the dedicated teachers
and head teachers both past and present who in diverse ways have and continue
to commit themselves to nurturing and shaping the young minds entrusted to
them so as to make them useful citizens. Without the contributions from these
illustrious people, I believe we would not be here celebrating this day. I also
believe that this is an occasion to take stock of the activities of the school to
determine how far the vision, mission and core values of the school are being
attained. This celebration is taking place at a critical time in the development of
our nation- we are experiencing a slow rate of improvement in the economy and
the educational system is in a poor state. If, as agreed by various governments,
educators, civil society and students, education is seen as the tool for the socio-
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economic transformation of nations and for ensuring competitiveness in the
global marketplace then the economy cannot be improved outside the
educational system. Your celebration is occurring at a time when the education
system needs major surgery. I will like to express my gratitude to the founder of
the school, the planning committee for the invitation to join you as you celebrate
the Pearl Jubilee.
The theme for this anniversary is ‘Persevering Towards Excellent Education:
The Way Forward’. I find the topic challenging since the two major concepts
‘Persevering and Excellent education’ are nebulous and elusive as they mean
different things to different people. Many dictionaries define the word persevere
as “to continue in some effort, course of action or belief over a long period in
spite of difficulty or opposition. This meaning suggests steadfastness in purpose
or the ability to carry on an action to its logical conclusion.
Perseverance
however does not take place in a vacuum; it must be directed toward a goal, and
the goal here is excellent education.
It is generally recognized the world over that education is the ‘key that unlocks
the door to modernization’ and for that matter development. This explains why
all countries irrespective of their development status invest huge sums of money
in education. This investment is justifiable because it is through education that
the human resource base of a country is developed and children and other
members of society are nurtured and empowered. More educated citizens, it is
claimed, have a better chance of transforming knowledge and assets into
productive livelihoods which provide the basic needs of food, shelter, health and
freedom from ignorance. Educated people tend to be more productive and are
better able to play constructive and informed roles in civil society.
 What is excellent/quality education?
 What have we done to persevere in achieving excellence?
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 What are the current lapses in the educational system?
 What is the way forward towards the achievement of excellent quality/
education at the pre-tertiary level?
 Conclusion
According to UNESCO (2002), education provides children, youth and adult with
the power to reflect, make choices and enjoy a better life. It breaks the cycle of
poverty and is a key ingredient in economic and social development. It should be
pointed out that it is not just any type of education, which can result in the abovementioned benefits. It is quality or excellent education, which can bring these
benefits to fruition.
What is excellent/quality education?
It is interesting that ‘many teachers, business and community leaders, and
parents rely on old ways of thinking about education, and their own experiences
as adolescents as they try to determine how schools can best be improved”
(Wagner, 1994). Teachers tend to talk about pupils’ lack of respect for teachers,
too much time spent on TV, failure to do homework, indiscipline and lack of
supportive parents in the home. Parents may talk about teaching basic skills.
School administrators on the other hand may be interested in getting pupils to
attend classes and to pass examinations.
Quality education is conceptualized from two main perspectives, namely, output
and input.
Those who view quality education from the perspective of inputs
define quality primarily in terms of inputs to the educational system such as
funding levels, class size and teacher certification. It must be pointed out that the
mere availability of funding, manageable class sizes and higher teacher
qualifications will not necessarily result in quality education. It is because of this
defect that the output criterion appears to be more acceptable.
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When quality is viewed from the output criterion it become easier to describe it. A
quality education system produces students (pupils) with the knowledge, skills,
attitudes, values and work habits needed to become productive and fulfilled
citizens. It provides clear goals, high standards, good teachers and a wellorganized curriculum. This definition makes it easier for parents, guardians,
stakeholders in education and in fact all customers who use the product of the
educational system to judge the value of education.
A third perspective is to view quality as a process. This really combines the input
and output models. A quality education system from this perspective examines
the interactions among the inputs, including the school ethos, collaboration
between the head and staff and between the school and the immediate and
wider community and how these affect the output. It also includes how the
academic goals and the core values of the school are articulated to all members.
This has been found to be more revealing than the output model.
In dealing with quality/excellent education, the school curriculum occupies a
control position. Consequently it must be updated from time to time so that it
becomes responsive to the ever-changing needs of society.
My chair, quality education is indeed a complex concept and in dealing with it, it
should be remembered that in its broader context it includes:
(a) Learners who are healthy, well-nourished and ready to participate and
learn, and supported in learning by their families and communities;
(b) Environments that are healthy, safe, protective and gender-sensitive, and
provide adequate resources and facilities;
(c) Content that is reflected in relevant curricula and materials for the
acquisition of basic skills, especially in the areas of literacy, numeracy and
skills for life, and knowledge in such areas as gender, health, nutrition
HIV/AIDS prevention and peace;
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(d) Processes through which trained teachers use child-centred teaching
approaches in well-managed classrooms and schools and skillful
assessment to facilitate learning and reduce disparities;
(e) Effective use of school time, effective supervision, right attitude to learning
and good discipline
(f) Outcomes that encompass knowledge, skills and attitudes, and are linked
to national goals for education and positive participation in society, which
is demonstrated through the mastery of a minimum level of defined
competencies in all subjects.
From this list it is clear that quality education is a multifaceted concept, which is
not easily achievable.
What have we done to persevere in achieving excellence?
My chair, I will now talk about some of the efforts we have made in the past as a
nation to achieve excellent/quality education.
At various stages in the history of this country, educational review Committees
and other legislations have unfolded lapses in our educational system and
suggested recommendations for improvements. These blueprints for revamping
the educational system are seen in various reports of educational review
committees, Education Ordinances, Education Acts, Laws, Constitutions and
speeches of politicians.
Some
of
these
suggestions/recommendation
have
either
been
fully
implemented, partially implemented or abandoned for various reasons.
Consequently, some of the problems in education keep on recurring and stare in
the face as if they are new but they are the same old problems that have reemerged. One can readily think about the issue of the medium of instruction,
which has its beginnings in the Phelps-Stokes Commission of 1920, and
Education Ordinance of 1925. Perseverance is inescapable as we tackle these
issues because there are no quick fix solutions.
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A careful study of these documents show that they focus on educational
goals/philosophy, quality issues (supervision books, stationery), teacher
effectiveness, curriculum content/relevance, assessment and many others. For
example, the 16 educational principles presented by Governor Guggisberg to the
Legislative Council in 1925 focused on quality education, which is still an issue
plaguing the education system.
All the points raised by Guggisberg in 1925 in his 16 principles were again
reiterated by the 1974 Dzobo Committee Report, which was implemented in
1987. Some of the highlight of the reforms was that practical programmes, which
lead to the acquisition of skill, should form essential part of formal education.
The need for emphasis on the study of indigenous knowledge, Science and
Mathematics was also stressed. It should be noted that the 1974 New Structure
and content of Education implemented in 1987 marks the first clear departure
from the colonial educational system.
Most of the points raised in previous reports have again been reemphasized in
the recent Presidential Committee on education. A relevant question is why do
some of these themes, namely, character training, quality teachers, use of
vernacular as medium of instruction and others continue to resurface in every
education Review report? What reasons account for our failure to implement
these recommendations?
The reasons for the non-implementation of some of these proposals include lack
of funds, lack of political will, feet dragging by parents and other groups in society
rapid changes in governments, failure of earlier projects etc.
What are the current lapses in the educational system?
Despite the various programmes and initiatives that have been implemented over
the years to provide and improve education, the education system has been and
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continues to be plagued by several deficiencies some of which are as old as we
can remember. Some of these are access, inadequate facilities, poor allowances
and conditions of service and instructional materials, prevalence of untrained
teachers, poor quality of instruction and weak administration and management.
In an article in the West African Magazine of March 2003, Sarah Simpson
lamented that after 46 years of independence, the education system of Ghana
remains ‘overburdened and under-funded.’ The paper reports that because
resources are overstretched experimental/practical courses like cookery are
taught only in theory and students cannot practice what they learn.
The report of the presidential committee on education corroborates some of
these
observations.
According
to
the
report,
the
educational
system
overemphasizes Grammar/General type of education to the neglect of Technical
and Vocational Training; this is evident in the proportion of state senior
secondary schools to state technical institutions (which is 1:21) and vocational
institutions (1:16).
At the pre-school level:
 38% of 4-5 year olds are not in pre-school. The situation is more serious
in the three northern regions where the rates are 63.3%, 71.9% and
66.2% for Northern, Upper West and Upper East respectively.
 Domination of this level by untrained teachers
At the technical/vocational level:
 Poorly resourced and are without adequately qualified and experienced
teachers
 Out-dated curricula
 Negative attitude of the general public to TVET resulting in what can be
described as ‘chronic prestige deprivation’.
At the primary level:
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 17.7% of 6-11 year olds who should be in school are not in school. For
each of the three northern regions the percentage outside school is about
two times the national figure, (i.e. 37.5%, 40.5% and 32.9% for northern,
Upper west and Upper east regions).
 The Criterion Referenced Test results for primary six pupils over the years
shows that less than 9% of public school pupils reached the mastery
levels of 60% for English and 55% for mathematics.
 At the basic level, there are 652 schools with only one or no teacher (GES,
2000/2001)
 Out of 101980 schools surveyed in 1999, 37.5% are death traps and
therefore need major repairs or are classes organized in open air space
At the JSS level:
 The gross enrollment rate of 63.3% leaves 36.7% of pupils who should be
in school out of school. Again there are regional disparities in participation
with the Northern, Upper West and Upper East regions registering the
lowest participation rates of 39.9%, 44% and 37.8% respectively.
 Of the average of 240,000 final year JSS students who pass out every
year, only 40% qualify for admission to SSS; the remaining 60% find
themselves on the street with no skills;
 The drop out or wastage rate is high, about 5%.
 High pupil/teacher ratios especially in the urban areas
At the SSS level:
 Only 18% of 15-17 year olds are in school; 82% are out on the streets
fending for themselves.
 16% of SSS have enrolments less than 100 due to poor facilities.
 Literacy and numeracy rates at the SSS are low; about 40% fail core
English and mathematics at the SSSCE.
The reasons for these lapses in education are compelling and well known and
include:
 Poor infrastructural facilities
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 Lack of adequate teaching and learning materials
 Poorly motivated and committed teachers
 Poverty level of parents
 Social exclusion
 Rural-urban disparities
 Poor management and supervision
 Lack of alternative tracks for students with different abilities and interests
 Lack of commitment by government.
Mr. Chairman, this situation shows the kind of depth in deterioration our
education system has sunk. We cannot win the war against poverty; neither can
we compete internationally in the global market if we continue to promote a nonresponsive system of education. Studies have shown that even our high school
graduates lack basic skills- the ability to read, write a paragraph, do simple
computations, and engage in critical thinking and problem solving. Our nation is
at risk because our education is at risk but the risk is not necessarily from
external threats but from ourselves.
Despite the above litany of woes, one can still find pockets of excellence in
education in some schools. St. Martin De Porres is one such school where the
school ethos, teacher commitment and good supervision combine to provide
pupils with an excellent foundation for future studies and for life in the society as
useful citizens. These schools employ teachers on individual contracts and can
therefore fire teachers who do not perform, have lower pupil/teacher ratios and
a higher teacher attendance rate. The question is why are we not learning from
such schools in our quest to bring about improvement in public schools.
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The way forward
Mr. Chairman, looking at the enormity of these challenges, it is only when we
adopt new strategies and become committed to them that we can bring about
successful improvement in the quality of education, One of these strategies
involve looking at best practices in various corners of the country and scaling
them up. I will like to share with you a few characteristics of schools that provide
excellent education. I intend to structure this under the following sub-themes:
general issues- leadership and autonomy, academic goals, core values,
collaboration. I will then make a few suggestions that are derived from the
President’s Committee report.
General Issues
 Schools that provide good education develop and implement clear
competency-based academic goals- They define what pupils are
expected to master, to know, to be able to do, and to earn a certificate.
The goals are shared with the pupils. To be able to measure the academic
goals there is the need to set the Minimum Standards of Performance
(MSP), which defines the competencies to be mastered in each subject at
specific point in time and not the mere coverage of the syllabus.
 Create a caring community with explicit core values that attend to the
needs of the heart as well as the head to promote individual growth and
development. Such values include the need to individualize learning to
enable pupils to discover their unique interests and abilities. Every pupil
needs closer, caring relationships with his or her teachers. Core values
such as honesty, respect, responsibility and citizenship that enhance life in
a community are promoted in these schools.
 Encourage collaboration among the school’s key constituencies-pupils,
teachers, parents and community members. Parents need to be
encouraged to be supportive of their children in order to improve their
performance. Good school go out of their way to cultivate partnership with
all the relevant groups within and outside the walls of the school.
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 Schools that make a difference take into cognizance the national
development goal, philosophy of education and national education
goals. The president’s committee on review of education has given clear
statements
on
these.
The
committee
stated
that
the
national
development goal as ‘improving the quality of life of all Ghanaians by
reducing poverty, raising living standards through a sustained increase in
national wealth and a more equitable distribution therefrom’. The
committee stated the philosophy of education as the creation of “wellbalanced (intellectually, spiritually, emotionally, physically) individuals with
the requisite knowledge, skills, values and aptitudes for self-actualization
and for the socio-economic and political transformation of the nation.”
(GoG, 2002) The national educational goals were stated as follows:
o “Promote social justice and equity by ensuring universal basic
education and equal educational opportuinities for all Ghanaians;
o Promote the culture of lifelong learning for all citizens who will
continue to develop their intellectual capacities, technical skills and
their abilities to enable them to cope with technological and other
changes in the global world;
o Provide individuals with knowledge, occupational skills and
attitudes for national development with a sense of dignity for labour
and for preserving the nation’s environmental resources;
o Promote the spirit of self reliance that will enable individuals to be
responsible for their well being as well as that of the community;
o Develop in the individual the ability to create, innovate, think
critically and be independent minded;
o Strengthen national consciousness and cultivate the attitudes of
good citizenship and patriotism and through that help preserve the
nation’s cultural heritage by promoting national languages and
desirable traditions and values;
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o Develop attitudes conducive to harmonious relations among
different ethnic groups and the international community.” (Ghana
Government, 2002)
 Accountability forms an inseparable component of the management and
supervision structure of the school
 The points raised above require transformational leadership; a leader with
a clear and shared vision.
Suggestions
1. A 2year kindergarten to be incorporated into the formal system to enable
children to have a smooth transition to the formal system. Basic education
will now comprise a 2year kindergarten, 6years primary and 3years JSS
education.
2. Secondary education is made up of senior secondary schools, technical
and vocational institutions and apprenticeship institutions. Under the new
structure, apprenticeship technical and vocational institutions are to run
parallel to the existing senior secondary schools.
3. Contact hours for primary schools should be increased from 4¼ hours
(9periods a day at 30minutes per period) to 5hours a day.
4. Abolition of the shift system. This system promotes truancy and reduces
contact hours.
5. Mass / wholesale promotion should be abolished because it does not
promote hard work and seriousness on the part of pupils.
6. Regular in-service training workshop on assessment techniques should be
organized in order to train all teachers in effective administration of
teacher based continuous assessment techniques.
7. The Ghana Education Service ensure that a class size should not exceed
35 pupils in normal schools and 10 pupils in special schools.
8. Effective guidance and counseling systems should be established in all
Junior Secondary Schools to offer career guidance and counseling
services.
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9. School libraries must be provided in all schools to encourage pupils to
cultivate reading habits as essential elements of continuous learning.
10. Clustering of Junior and Senior Secondary Schools with the propose of
sharing the same resources (e.g. teachers, workshop, laboratories,
libraries) should be encouraged in order to strengthen education at the
JSS level.
11. Minimum standards of performance should be established with well
defined competencies to be mastered in each subject at specific point in
time.
12. The Ghana Education Service should step up its supervisory role of
schools to enable them give off their best. The principle of accountability
should be emphasized as far as the performance of Head teachers,
teacher and in fact all Education Officers are concerned. All Education
Officers and Head teachers must be made to sign performance contract
with their superior officers and be made to render account of what they
have done at the close of the year. When this is done there will be a clear
and objective way of making teachers and Education Officers accountable
for their stewardship.
Non-performing teaches can be identified and
sanctioned.
CONCLUSION
My chair, the search for quality education is a daunting task, which must be
approached with all seriousness by all stakeholders in education. If we are to win
the war against poor education and thereby achieve poverty eradication, then
new weapons will have to be marshaled. Improving education must be
declared a national priority and schools must be given the autonomy to
compete as well as collaborate with other schools. We cannot continue to do
business as usual; we need renewed commitment from all stakeholders
especially the government and civil society. Our education is at risk.
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It is suggested that NGO’s, private individuals, government and civil society
should redouble their efforts to make the achievement of quality education a
reality.
Thank you for your attention.
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