Under-fire author and publisher of the ‘Prof. Quarm Series,’ Joseph Albert Quarm, has justified his classification of the human head as a part of the human body used for carrying loads.
In his ‘Natural Science for Primary Schools – Pupil’s Book 1,’ Mr. Quarm stated that the human head is used for carrying loads.
[contextly_sidebar id=”rczfjxMXBE6dpjFSlccWAjGY4yroJ1O2″]This classification has however been heavily criticized on social media, with the Vice President of IMANI Ghana, Kofi Bentil, calling for an immediate withdrawal of the books from the primary schools.
But speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Friday morning, Mr. Quarm defended his method saying there is the correct way to teach children at the primary level.
He argued that “it is absolutely correct because over here we are using activity-based learning where you need to consider teaching and learning materials and where you need to take the child to the field to learn. It is perfectly right and hundred percent right.”
Thinking is abstract
Mr. Quarm noted that it will be difficult to explain in a book to a pupil that the function of the head is for thinking.
“Science is investigating and interpretation of events which occur in our natural physical environment. Here we are dealing with real facts; we are dealing with what the child is seeing and not an abstract. Thinking is an abstract so in this context what are we going to use as an object to represent the function of the head?”
Kofi Bentil fumes
Mr. Kofi Bentil had insisted that the text book is unworthy to be used in the primary schools since it seeks to stereotype and belittle the thinking capabilities of pupils from that early age.
“It looks funny but it is a terrible thing. The child’s brain in particular is very impressionable; you put things in it and they are going to stay there and they are going to work all kinds of things in his or her life, going forward. When you say that the human body parts perform different functions…and you are telling the person that the function for your head is for carrying loads and for nodding, you are belittling the thinking of the child. This kind of thinking minimizes our children’s ability. It [textbook] should be withdrawn ” he suggested.
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana