Ace Anan Ankomah posts on his facebook wall...

_“Elsewhere, teachers are allowed 1 hour of prep for every 7 hours of teaching. In Ghana, it is 4 hours of prep for 4 hours of teaching. In other words averagely, our teachers spend only 50% of possible contact hours doing actual teaching.” - Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Dep. Minister of Education._

When such gibber comes from an Education minister with a PhD in Educational Policy from the University of Southern California, you can trust that the Freelance Analyst, Mr. Daniel Fenyi, will come your way to explain what actually pertains on the grounds.

First, there are two classes of teachers in Ghana: Basic School teachers (Primary + JHS) and SHS tutors.

*Basic School teachers (BS):*
BS has class 1 to class 6 and one teacher handles each class. Class begins at 8am and ends at 2:30pm. From 8am to 10am is teaching (2hrs). 10:00am to 10:30am is 1st break. Teaching continues from 10:30am to 12:15pm (1hr 45mins). 2nd Break is 12.15-12.30pm. From 12:30-2.30pm is 2hrs of teaching. So in total, a BS teacher uses 5hrs 45 mins a day. So for the minister to say teachers in Ghana teach for 4hrs can't be accurate, at least at the Basic level.

*JHS and SHS tutors:*
Subject teaching is done at these levels. Averagely, a teacher has 30periods a week. Each period is 40minutes. This means, 1200minutes a week for teaching. This translates into 20hrs a week making 4hours a day. Interesting! I guess this is why the education minister, Dr. Yaw Adutwum, shallowly concluded that teachers teach for 4hrs and sleep for 4hrs.
Given that a teacher has 80 students in class. He's mandatorily expected to give class exercise and project work (Assignment/homework) immediately after teaching each single day. Granted that he is fast enough to use 2hrs to mark 80 exercises each day, is that not 4hrs+2hrs making 6hrs a day?
The teacher is again mandatorily expected to write lesson notes and teaching notes (notes to be given to children) each single day. Assuming he is again fast enough to use 2hours for this exercise, is that not 6hrs+2hrs making 8hrs?

*My Conclusion:*
1. The teacher spends, everything put together, about 8hrs a day.
2. The minister said "Elsewhere". Does his "elsewhere" include USA, Canada, Germany, Denmark, China, etc? Well, the salary of the "elsewhere" teacher is about 5times a Ghanaian teacher's.
3. Teachers are sick and tired of the many insults showered on them everyday. The profession is a respected calling though not well paying. Let's have our piece of mind!
3. I am Daniel Fenyi, an educationist with teaching experiences from Basic School to Senior High School. Reach me on *+233242937017.* Ready for counter opinions and educative critiques.

*Citizen Not Spectator!*

#A Must Read for All Teachers and Politicians.