Deputy Education Minister in charge of tertiary, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said it is premature for the general public to conclude that the nation\u2019s educational system is in a poor\u00a0condition based on the global school rankings.<\/p>\n
He remarked that it was unfortunate the way the media and the public sought to create the impression that Ghana\u2019s educational system is indeed the worst in the world based on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development\u2019s (OECD) global school ranking released on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”pXqToDZokUyrICPThLoptTtQ5TK2UrUC”]The OECD\u2019s global school ranking<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span> which is considered the biggest in the world placed Ghana and other African countries at the bottom after analyzing 76 countries worldwide.<\/p>\n The Education Ministry subsequently issued a statement dismissing the OECD ranking<\/a><\/strong><\/span> with the explanation that the country\u2019s educational system is robust and making tremendous improvements.<\/p>\n Speaking further on the Ministry\u2019s stance on the matter, Mr. Ablakwa pointed out that it was important for his outfit to \u201cset the record straight\u201d in order to \u201cavoid panic and rather welcome a more objective and scientific appraisal of our educational system within the context of what we have been doing so far.\u201d<\/p>\n He said the full OECD report will be made available at the upcoming World Education Forum in South Korea; an event Ghana\u2019s Education Minister will be attending.<\/p>\n According to Mr. Ablakwa, it is therefore imperative for the general public \u201cto wait for this full report then we can make some sense out of the report and engage in objective analysis.\u201d<\/p>\n The Deputy Education Minister mentioned that there are pressing questions the substantive Minister will ask at the forum including the \u201csample frame \u2013 what really went into the selection of these countries because there were only 76 countries used for this study.\u201d<\/p>\n He stated that presently, all what is in the public domain is the press highlights of the report and so there is \u201cno need to panic at this point; there is no need to run down our educational system.\u201d<\/p>\n Ablakwa however admitted that the Ministry \u201chas long realized based on our own internal surveys that Maths and Science is a challenge so my boss has constantly made Maths and Science a priority\u201d and as such efforts are being made to make these subjects attractive to students.<\/p>\n He stressed that \u201cat this point, it is premature to be conclusive. We are also saying that there are illogical conclusions\u2026because many people may not have seen the press highlights and may have been carried away by the interpretations and the political twists that people are making on this press highlight.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By: Efua Idan Osam\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
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