The political elite in Ghana have been accused of deliberately scheming to keep citizens in perpetual poverty to serve their political advantage during elections.
The President of Innovative Teachers, Ghana, Stephen Desu claimed that since 1992, “the four Johns that we have seen, I think that that is the agenda they have prosecuted and it has not stopped.”
[contextly_sidebar id=”KvGSPvbECHMsvAzpAmGafDo7cKvxb7zK”]He asserted that this agenda is being carried out through their deliberate refusal to reform the education sector to develop the human resource of the nation.
Speaking on Citi FM’s The Big Issue, Mr. Desu opined that “we do not have education going on in Ghana right now. You just pass through the system, write examination, get a piece of paper and go and stand on the streets and sell pure water.”
“This educational system is colonial in nature. We have not taken any steps at decolonizing our educational system,” he said, adding that, although a few modifications have been made, “it is still in the colonial mode.”
Ghana’s educational system has over the years been grappling with serious challenges.
Presently, there are some schools which are still under trees, educational materials are in short supply, teachers are complaining of low salaries, delayed disbursement of capitation and feeding grants, among others.
Many are of the view that the battle on the duration for Senior High School and whether or not education should be free is also disrupting and creating confusion within the system.
According to Mr. Desu, “the business of three years, four years is irrelevant, the business of whether we should go back to senior secondary school or senior high school are all irrelevant.”
“What is the content of what is being taught is schools? That is the most important thing. Does the educational system address the developmental agenda of the country? What are we doing here to empower students for them to take advantage of the system?” he asked.
Mr. Desu indicated that the world today thrives on ideas and not on natural resources, therefore it is about time Africans realised that boasting and depending on natural resources will continue to keep the continent in abject poverty.
“The battle to dominate the world is about ideas; it’s not about who has gold, bauxite.”
By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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