An educationist and former headmaster of Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast, Mr Koame Mieza Edjah has expressed regret over Ghana’s state of education and the painful absence of a national policy for the sector.
Mr. Edjah, taking his turn on ATL FM’s Leadership Dialogue, described the Ghana’s educational reforms as ‘party policies in education’ which he says cannot transform the nation.
“Unfortunately I am not very happy about what is going on in our educational sector for the mere reason that we are refusing to have a national policy for education”, he said.
Over the years reforms in the education sector have been informed by political party manifestos and not according to any streamlined national policy guide. This has however led to inconsistencies in the country’s education depending on which political party is in power.
He suggests a proper national policy on education would ensure continuity from the various political parties.
“If we are talking about free schooling it should be a national policy and so the one who introduced it can start from free basic education and if another party comes into power they continue with the free education policy, this is what we call development”.
Mr. Koame Edjah believes that towards a proper transformational change in the country, there should be a national policy on education devoid of political interference.
“I have always maintained that it is not political parties that can make Ghana develop but the citizenry. The attitude of the Ghanaian should change and own the country. The education system has its good and bad points however the government should open up and allow the educationist and not politicians make inputs for them to carry on”.
Mr. Edjah also maintained that schools should be allowed to be more flexible in order to administer proper discipline.
“With the current head teachers their headache is free hands to instill discipline, and so there should be some bits of flexibility in allowing them instill discipline into the kids.”
“If we don’t have a directed or measured life where are we going?” he quizzed and emphasized that without discipline there cannot be success.
In his concluding remarks, Mr. Edjah charged the youth of the country to champion the development of the nation. He said they should be concerned about the development of humanity and not monetary gains which has contributed to the failure of the state. He also called on the elderly to continuously instill discipline.
Mr. Koame Mieza Edjah was the headmaster of Mfantsipim School from 2008 to 2013.
Joseph Kobina Amuah/ATLFMNEWS
