New Curriculum: ICT was taught with Textbooks at the Workshop Yet NCCA Says Curriculum is 'Practical'

There are many 'funny' things happening in the education sector and they are forcing us to call them 'REFORMS'. Let's see if they are.

1. The new curriculum is called 'standard-based'. Point to note, there is nothing like a globally-accepted standard education system. China, USA, UK, Germany, Denmark, etc all have different education systems. While China concentrates on Technology, Germany focuses more on Vocational/Technical Education, Qatar concentrates on Medicine, etc. So whose 'standard' is the new curriculum based on? UK is still doing the "O" and "A" Level system, 'reform' does not mean just change everything even if there is no 'sense' in it.

2. Under the new curriculum, the teacher is called a Facilitator. Has anyone bothered to know what a facilitator does? Well, he basically raises a topic, builds an argument around it without taking sides and 'just guides' a learner to make his philosophies and believes according to his own conviction. This kind of exercise is for mature minds. How does one build arguments around fixed knowledge like the Alphabets, Colours, History, etc. A CHILD must be TAUGHT! Hence, at the basic level, a teacher is a TEACHER, not FACILITATOR!

3. Ghana's economy is built around Agriculture. It holds about 48% of the economy. Yet, our children would not study Agric. They are rather forced to learn History, Our World Our People, etc. What contribution can such subjects add to the economy? From KG to University (about 20years), a child who would study courses like the Arts, Business, Home Econs, etc may never know anything about Agric beyond it's mere 'definition'. This is SAD!

4. The new curriculum is supposed to be practical and activity-based. Yet, even the most practical subject, ICT, was taught with textbooks at the just ended workshop for the over 150,000 basic school teachers. How do you expect the teacher to teach it practically? Besides, what is practicality to the student who has no electricty, computer lab, etc in his school?

5. In the new curriculum, extra curricular activities like weeding, counselling, football, etc would be done in the last hour on the timetable. But who said they were done in the morning? Which school plays football matches before they start lessons?

6. We are told, in the new curriculum, BECE will be scrapped. Yet, at JHS 3, the students will write an examination to be run by WAEC for posting into SHS. What will that exam be called? Is this a 'REFORM' or a 'RENAME'?

I leave it open here. Form your believes around the points and feel free to (dis) agree. Critiques are welcome.

Yours truly,
Counsellor Daniel Fenyi
Educationist/Counsellor