2019, YEAR OF READING -Math teacher advocates

Sun, Feb 17, 2019

2019, YEAR OF READING
-Math teacher advocates

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The Ghanaian Library Authority (GLA) has declared 2019 as Year of READING and with the support of the Ghanaian National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) and others, all is set to imbibe in the Ghanaian child the culture of reading that is sinking.

While unusual of teachers of Mathematics, unlike their language counterparts, to prioritise reading, Augustine Saahene, a professional graduate teacher of Mathematics at the senior high level, is strongly "leading the charge".

Attention to language detail Mr. Saahene, in an exclusive online interview with LEARNING📖MATTERS editor Osei Kuffour, who's also his college mate, made the following submissions:

B a c k g r o u n d

Our mathematical concepts are presented in the English language. So, if the student can't read to comprehend the demands of questions, then it's a problem.
Getting some mastery over the language is a prerequisite to understanding the mathematical concepts and their subsequent applications.
I think I should be able to present mathematical concepts to my students in a plain language.
We should help our students to cultivate the habit of reading from the nursery. So, by the time they get to the upper primary, they would have learnt how to read. Consequently, they will make a significant progress academically;

S t a k e h o l d e r s

All stakeholders including teachers, parents, government, community, NGOs, foreign partners, among others, should help in making reading a habit for all.
Some teachers find it difficult to construct correct sentences. They feel shy to speak the English language at staff meetings, etc. So, if the teacher is not well prepared to impart the knowledge and skill of reading, then that's a worry;

M e d i a

All media practitioners should be perpetual advocates of reading at all levels of our educational system.
They should provide space and airtime for teachers and other stakeholders to help in imparting the skills of reading to students.
Educative programmes like the defunct "Everyday English" on Radio Ghana should be re-aired to make a significant impact in the academic lives of teachers and students;

G E S

The Ghanaian Education Service (GES) should be brought into the debate as to how best we can collectively help in imparting the habit of reading in teachers and students.
-Augustine Saahene, Math Teacher

Meanwhile, LEARNING📖MATTERS, with sponsorship from Joy Standard Schools, is due to roll out "STANDARD EDUCATION", a daily radio broadcast that gives insights into Learning Tips and Standard English language usage.

Editor OK(Osei Kuffour), in his 13th year, as a media advocate in education, is imploring all and sundry to rise to the occasion of promoting education in meeting the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on Quality Education by 2030.

And soliciting cash and kind support by partners by contacting him via Facebook Osei Kuffour OK and electronic mail okeditor5@gmail.com.


✍🏽: Osei Kuffour
LEARNING📖MATTERS