A former director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Michael Kenneth Nsowah, says governments must focus on ensuring quality education in the country rather than building more educational facilities.<\/p>\n
According to him, it is worrying to have more schools yet majority of the graduates are unable to pursue higher education.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuccessive governments since independence have invested heavily in the expansion of places in schools, however, the increase in enrollment have not seen corresponding expansion in the supply of trained teachers and the supply of the needed resources to enable the schools to function efficiently,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He expressed worry that successive governments continue to credit their achievements in quality educational delivery in the number of schools built; rather than achievements on performance.<\/p>\n
Michael Kenneth Nsowah was speaking at the first national conference\u00a0of the University Teachers\u2019 Association of Ghana (UTAG) at the University of Ghana on the theme, \u201cThe Quality of Manpower and Teaching at the Pre-Tertiary Level: Its Impact on University Education.”<\/p>\n
He noted that, such qualitative assessment of education \u201cis a phenomenon that was reminiscent of the emerging stage of colonialism\u201d used to measure the level of development.<\/p>\n
\u201c…and this thing is continuing, we are fighting over ‘I built 20 schools, you built one school’ and this is taking us no where, because at the core of the whole educational enterprise is quality.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael Nsowah opined that, the low investment and interest in qualitative issues in the primary education may be attributed to the fact that most research findings and reports that expose weaknesses in the educational system, are often ignored or defended to avoid embarrassment or criticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cEach year, when we talk about the failure of the candidates; BECE or WASSCE we sweep it under the carpet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said it was worrying that most Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) graduates fail in the core subjects, making it difficult for them to gain admission into secondary and tertiary institutions respectively.<\/p>\n