GNACOPS holds stakeholders training on new education curriculum

The leadership of Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) has organised a day’s training for Proprietors,Managers and teachers of Private Schools in Ashanti region.

The training focused on equipping stakeholders of education with adequate information and understanding on the current accademic reformation vis-a-vis the introduction of a new curriculum by the Ministry of Education. The stakeholders training which had the approval of the Education Ministry again sought to prepare participants to adapt and deliver in comformity with the new system. As announced by the Ministry, the new curriculum will replace the current one from Kingdergarten to Primary six. Under this new system, subjects to be taught at the KG level have been reduced from seven to four and have been integrated into themes. The themes for KG are Numecracy, Literacy, Creative Arts and Our World, Our People (citizenship). There is, however, no change in the number of subjects at the primary level. Speaking in an exclusive interview with GHANA BULLETIN ONLINE on the sidelines during the training, Director for GNACOPS Mr. Steve Revss underscored the new curriculum as far better than the previous since it is much practical and learner centered. He described the old educational system as robot based and that students were made to learn by memorising “chew and pour” which for him were not helping. “The new curriculum is just like that of the colonial days where we had few subjects and much practicals” he recalled. He disclosed that majority of teachers within the private sector have been trained and are prepared to flow with the new system come September 2019. Dr. Mantey Jectey Nyarko who is a lecturer at the Faculty of Art- KNUST also in his statement applauded the Ministry for moving Ghana’s educational curriculum from a content based to a standard type. This he indicated will make Ghana part of the world learning process considering the reality that skills in learning are changing and that “if students are not trained to acquire those skills, they will become irrelevant in the world of jobs and learning”. Dr. Mantey disclosed that the old curriculum has outlived its relevance and that training Ghanaian students with the old will put them completely out of the world of jobs and learning.

EDUCATION IS THE KEY -Story of a 35-year DCE

Thu, Mar 28, 2019

EDUCATION IS THE KEY
-Story of a 35-year DCE

From a poor background, Andrew Adu Boahen attended Bodwesango Junior/Senior High Schools, then to Akrokerri College of Education in the Ashanti Region and proceeded to the University of Education, Winneba.

From the college of education he combined teaching with politics, rising through the position of an assembly member of Bodwesango to a presiding member and actively involving himself in the 2008, 2012, 2016 general elections in different capacities for his constituency.

He landed himself a lucrative job in the United States of America (USA) in October 2017 but in less than 2months he had a call from his member of parliament (MP), K.T. Hammond, to return to the country to serve, in any available capacity, in the newly created Adansi Asokwa District. That was met with family and friends resistance as his sojourn abroad was a great hope for the family of the man not in politics to amass wealth but to solve problems.
But the determined patriotic young man defied the challenges and, by God's grace and dint of hardwork, became the first district chief executive (DCE) of Adansi Asokwa.

Mr. Adu Boahen's passion for education inspires him to, through thick and thin, better the educational lot of his people through timely provision of furniture, building materials, among others.

The less talking, action-oriented young politician is in the good books of the president of the republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for protecting the public purse when he once fought for the slashing of assembly member allowance by 50% because the previous amount was needless.

Mr. Adu Boahen believes his young age better positions him to serve, for a long time, his people and wants "to be remembered as a problem solver" .

The inspirational teacher has encouraged teachers to go the extra mile in making the best out of pupils especially from deprived communities.

Mr. Adu Boahen is married with two children.

He spoke in an exclusive interview with LEARNING MATTERS' founding editor Osei Kuffour on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 in the chief executive's office in Adansi Asokwa.


Story: Osei Kuffour
Fb: Osei Kuffour OK
E: okeditor5@gmail.com

EDUCATION MINISTRY, PRIVATE SCHOOLS MEETING POSTPONED

Press Release

Due to last minute challenges with schedule the much anticipated meeting between the Education Ministry/Education Service and the various private school groups initially slated for Saturday, March 30, 2019 at Kumasi Anglican Senior High School (KASHS) has been suspended indefinitely to allow  proprietors/proprietresses involved to make time to prepare their West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) candidates for the forthcoming exercise.


The stakeholders engagement intended to deliberate on the New Educational Reforms Implementation, National Policy for Private Schools, among others in pre-tertiary education in Ghana.

The next schedule will be duly communicated.

Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.

Signed
ENOCH KWASI GYETUAH
GNACOPS ,NED
0249641349

TEACH OUR MUSIC AT BASIC LEVEL -Late Prof. Nketia's protégé

Thu, Mar 14, 2019

TEACH OUR MUSIC AT BASIC LEVEL
-Late Prof. Nketia's protégé

"Hmmm...He saw a star in me, took me from a village in 1995 and, by God's grace, fathered, mentored and exposed me to the world through my performances with the seperewa. He taught me what and how to say it on stage. He would have turned 98 in June and just as we were contemplating how to celebrate him, we've been hit by his demise. To me, it's like having lost a rising youth, " Osei Korankye breaks down.


Osei Kwame Korankye (affectionately called Osei Korankye), a foremost harp-flute (seperewa) player in Africa and a lecturer of traditional music/instruments at the University of Ghana, Legon, was under a 24-year (1995-2019) tutelage of the global music great, Emeritus Professor Kwabena Nketia, who, at 97, passed on on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 at the Legon Hospital in Accra after a short illness.

Eulogising his mentor, Osei Korankye bemoaned our crave for foreign or Western music and instruments at the expense of our rich heritage that offers us invaluable socio-economic gains that we have not taken advantage of.
And that the foreigners who come down to learn go back to make huge economic gains out of that.

Teary Osei Korankye further condemned the mocking of the few youth interested in the learning and performing indigenous music and instruments and called for the re-introduction of the teaching and learning of our music and instruments at the basic school level.

He called on the state to give the stage to our indigenous performers to encourage the promotion of our rich heritage for our generation and posterity.

On the media and tractional music event sponsors contributions to this quest, he didn't hesitate to say that there is more room for improvement.
Adding that he struggles to get his songs and events promoted by his own (the Ghanaian media) who, unfortunately, often promote other country's indigenous music.

He further called for unity among his colleague performers of the Ghanaian music and instruments because with selfishness and bickering there's no future for the field.

Osei Korankye has his mentor, the late Emeritus Professor Kwabena Nketia, eulogised in some of his compositions performed on international platforms.


Story: Osei Kuffour
Fb: Osei Kuffour OK
E: okeditor5@gmail.com

45YEARS OF GES -Waste of taxes

Thu, Mar 14, 2019

45YEARS OF GES
-Waste of taxes

In the words of a consultant to Ghana's Education Ministry, Dr. Prince Hamidu Armah,

"We know public schools are not doing well so we looked at the potential partnership between the private and public sector, and that is what has informed what we call Ghana Partnership School programme...It's anticipated that during the process, our public schools will learn from the experiences in the private sector and that is the principle behind the policy.
Under the programme, there will be effective supervision of teachers in public schools. If the head teachers are not happy with the behaviour of a teacher, they could ask the Ghana Education Service to bring to them a new teacher. So here, we are looking at how the private schools have performed by ensuring accountability. "

These statements come ahead of the policy which the ministry is due to introduce in September this year by piloting it in over 100 state-controlled basic schools in four regions viz Ashanti, Central, Greater Accra and Northern for the next three years.

The policy which the ministry indicates is not  privatisation of schools but leveraging the expertise of the private sector is expected to improve the performance of public basic schools in the country by changing the operational system to improve management of schools for better results.
And that it will not have any financial burden on parents.

This move, however, has been opposed by some teacher unions who say, contrary to the ministry's assurance, is a recipe for privatisation and eventual commercialisation of Ghana's education sector.

The latest to hit hard at the government is the Ghanaian National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) which is mandated to internally regulate over 22,000 private schools across the country.
GNACOPS intimates that for the nation to come this far in terms of poor standards is a reflection of the education service's failure to deliver on it's core mandate of quality education over the past 45years.
"GES must be dissolved as soon as possible and their offices and funds given to those who have succeeded in making the private sector worth  emulating by the public sector, " National Executive Director (NED) of GNACOPS, Enoch Kwasi Gyetuah, strongly stated in an interview with founding editor of Learning Matters, Osei Kuffour (Editor OK) on Wednesday, March 13, ahead of a non state actors stakeholder meeting by close of March.

GNACOPS call has been backed by several expert stakeholders in the country's educational sector.

In a related development, the owner of Joy Standard Schools, a leading name in the private sector for 27years in Ashanti, Stephen Donkor, has kicked against the publishing of the West African Examination Council (WAEC)'s results rankings.
Mr. Donkor says the practice, contrary to enhancing learning by schools, especially those who don't live up to exam expectations, trigger to the use of various ways and means by some schools and parents to buy questions for their candidates.
The development, he added, does not reveal the true abilities of candidates hence they perform abysmally when they progress to other levels where such bad practices are not countenanced.


Story: Osei Kuffour
Fb: Osei Kuffour OK
E: okeditor5@gmail.com

PRIVATE SECTOR EDUCATION -There is no policy!

Mon, Mar 11, 2019

PRIVATE SECTOR EDUCATION
-There is no policy!

Despite the invaluable contributions of the private sector to Ghana's educational development over the past 60years, the sector, boasting of 22,000 schools, has no policy to guide its operations.

National Executive Director (NED) for Ghanaian National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS), Enoch Kwasi Gyetuah, made the statement at the council's maiden meeting with members in the Upper West Region in Wa.

Mr. Gyetuah added that private schools are not represented at the highest decision making level in education in the country and there are no grievance channels to seek redress during challenges.

He briefed members on the Education Act 788 of  2008 that was reviewed in 2015 to regulate the operations of private schools that started as Home or Castle Schools by the European merchants for their children and later extended to their local converts.
Adding that GNACOPS has a Research Team to come out with credible data to support advocacies.

He was grateful to add that through GNACOPS' relentless advocacies, the government has initiated tax reliefs that members should take advantage of by ensuring proper book keeping and financial reporting in their operations to qualify them for such.
Also, effective next academic year, 50% of the BECE registration fee will be borne by the government.

On his part, Director for Logistics and Data Management of GNACOPS, Timothy Gyebi, urged members to keep abreast of the current trends or transformations in the nation's educational policy.
Sole proprietorship, he disclosed, will soon be a thing of the past because when the proprietor/proprietress dies the school suffers gravely if it does not collapse.

He reiterated that the New Educational Reforms call for all teachers to be licensed before employment and that international educational consultant, Grant Bulmuoh, will lead a team to prepare members within 4years to write the licensure exam.
He further encouraged members to join the GNACOPS Volunteers Service Scheme (GVSS) at GH¢50 registration fee and qualify for monthly allowance while undergoing pre-licence training.
Members were reminded that national service is still mandatory.

On closure of schools, Mr. Gyebi said that only Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs), upon recommendations by the Ghanaian Education Service (GES), have the mandate to close down schools.

GNACOPS bemoaned the misuse of funds by public sector, paving way for Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in education, a development which will eventually collapse private schools due to their inadequate decent infrastructure.

The council urged the enthused participants to be critical thinkers to fit well into the society.
And assured members it is up to the task of redeeming the sinking image of private schools in Ghana.

✍🏽: Osei Kuffour
Fb: Osei Kuffour OK
E: okeditor5@gmail.com

COME CLEAR ON LICENCE -GNACOPS to NTC

Sat, Mar 02, 2019

COME CLEAR ON LICENCE
-GNACOPS to NTC


Following the release of the maiden Teacher Licensure Examination results, the National Teaching Council (NTC), has made statements that baffle the Ghanaian National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) and the latter is impressing upon the former to come clear on those statements.

NTC boss, Dr. Mrs. Evelyn Oduro, said that effective September this year all teachers, public and private, without teaching licence will not be allowed to enter the classroom.
She added that existing teachers will not write the exam but will undergo professional in-service training to upgrade themselves for the licence.
And those who failed the exam will have to re-sit during the second exam in March this year.

However, national executive director (NED) of GNACOPS, Enoch Kwasi Gyetuah, in an interview with LEARNING📖MATTERS founder, Osei Kuffour (Editor OK), strongly underscored the fact that they are at sea about the fate of their over 400,000 unlicensed private school teachers across the country come September 2019.

In a related development, Mr. Gyetuah, while commending Ghanaian journalists on their educational advocacies, has, however, implored them to probe statements from government officials on educational policies to give understanding to the lay person.


✍🏽: Osei Kuffour
Fb: Osei Kuffour OK
E: okeditor5@gmail.com

MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY -Reminds me of Joy Standard Sch

Feb 21: MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY
-Reminds me of Joy Standard Sch

I was media consulting for Stephen Donkor, the director of Joy Standard Schools in Kumasi at his office when he received a call from a male student's father from Canada.

I heard Mr. Donkor speak:
"Please, whenever I speak to your son in English he responds in Twi. I don't understand why but he wouldn't tell me. Please, why is it so? "

I couldn't hear the caller but after their conversation Mr. Donkor briefed me that unknown to him, the student was transferred from a school in Canada to the Ghanaian school, Joy Standard, to learn and speak Twi well.
"Now I understand, " he remarked.

Growing up at Maase in Offinso in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, I frequented my neighbours' house and always heard their dad, Mr Amponsah, retired English language instructor, respond to them in Twi as they spoke English.
But he always corrected them when they erred in the English language.

My father wouldn't speak English to me but always corrected me when I erred.
And I always asked him whatever I didn't understand in Twi and he always coached me.

I apply the same principle to my children and I realise a balance of good Twi and English in them.
And more so, as I wholly uphold the L1 Policy (80% local language, 20% other) especially in public schools (before primary 4) , I make sure their teachers strictly apply it to them even when others may not prefer that for their wards.
People close to me shudder at how I speak standard Twi with my children and give them the translations in English.
This has tremendously improved their transfer of learning skill.

I, this day, advise all and sundry to do their best possible to let their children learn and use their mother language well as it enhances their transfer of learning skill.

LEARNING📖MATTERS, therefore, implores the Ghanaian National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) particularly to consider this admonition because the private schools overemphasise the English language at the expense of our invaluable indigenous ones.

Together change is possible!
Possible is everything!


✍🏽: Osei Kuffour
Fb: Osei Kuffour OK
E: okeditor5@gmail.com

THE CHILD'S MENTAL HEALTH -Chief Psychiatrist raises concerns

THE CHILD'S MENTAL HEALTH
-Chief Psychiatrist raises concerns

Oftentimes we downplay issues that lead to the child's suicidal tendencies and such attitudes from society have led to avoidable suicides.

The Chief Psychiatrist and first Chief Executive Officer of Ghana's Mental Health Authority, Dr Akwasi Osei, has intimated the need for the general public to understand that mental illness is not a respecter of age.
Adding that the child is more vulnerable than the adult because the child is not experienced in life to bear difficulties to certain levels.

Dr Osei has raised depression as the major trigger to suicidal tendencies in both the child and the adult.
He has raised issues of sudden disinterest and withdrawal, sleep disorders, loneliness, and shabby dressing, among others as early warning signs of mental illness.

With the school child, insults from parents for low performance in class or exam, prolonged ridicule because of body size or height, attribution of an exceptionally brilliant girl to witchcraft, can gravely destabilise the mind.

He has also mentioned heartbreak among girls in relationships as a pervasive cause of mental illness.
The use of tramadol, weed, cocaine and alcohol among boys, according to Dr Osei, must be tackled seriously to avoid mental illnesses.

He spoke on Obuasi-based Shaft 98.1 News@6pm co-hosted by Aboagye Dacosta on Tuesday.


✍🏽: Osei Kuffour
F: Osei Kuffour OK
E: okeditor5@gmail.com

DEFYING DISABILITY LIMITATIONS -Indomitable Kojo Ellimah

Wed, Feb 20, 2019,
Social Justice Day

DEFYING DISABILITY LIMITATIONS
-Indomitable Kojo Ellimah

"I remember spending endless times at the hospital and then later at some herbalist centres.

Then when I started school I had no consciousness that I was " different ".
In Nursery 2 (or Kindergarten, I'm not sure!) my class started rehearsals for the annual 6th March Independence parade. It was always a sense of pride to be selected to march.

So I did rehearsals with my class. Anytime I marched my classmates made fun of me. I did not understand what was going on. Then our class teacher called Auntie Christie told me one morning that I could not join the team to march. I cried uncontrollably that day, and asked her to tell me why. Sadly she didn't. I was later to realize it was because of my disability.

Growing up my sisters were over-protective of me. Again I did not understand why, till much later.

My family was phenomenal in those days. I remember my grandmother who brought me up allowed me to do everything " normal" kids did. I fetched water. I could pound fufu. I could sweep. This training prepared me for later life, especially when I went to boarding school (Accra Academy) where I was expected to do things by myself. "
- Richard Kojo Ellimah

Kojo was born in Obuasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana some 40years ago.

He was not physically challenged but at age 3 he started suffering from poliomyelitis.

Kojo defied the disability limitations and started his formal educational life at the first private school in the Adansi area, Queen Egyima International School, popularly called Auntie Bea, established in 1978.

He proceeded to Christ The King Secondary School in Obuasi for his GCE, "O" Level.

Then to Accra Academy to obtain the "A" Level  with greats like Bola Ray (the Chief Executive Officer of media giant EIB Network) and Uncle Ato (renowned gospel musician).

At the Ghanaian Institute of Journalism (GIJ) Kojo obtained Diploma in Communication with internationally celebrated ace undercover journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas (Tiger Eye PI), master communicator Akwasi Sarpong (BBC), award winning investigative journalist, Raymond Archer (Enquirer newspaper), versatile Ivy Heward-Mills, among others.

Unlimited Kojo obtained 1st Class Honours in Development Planning from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and his Masters in Development Planning and Management in the same university in Ghana.

Further, he obtained Executive Masters in Management (Sustainable Development) from Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands.

Kojo's awards include Les Aspin Fellowship, Australia Awards Fellowship, Canadian Education and Training Awards for Africa and, Netherlands Fellowship,etc.

For over 10years he has distinguished himself in the civil society space in Ghana's Extractives Sector (Mining and Oil and Gas) and traveled across over 24 countries in 4 continents to make presentations that have influenced landmark policies.
One of the lead activists on the recently reopened Obuasi Mines is Kojo, who, at a point in time received threats from some quarters in his quest to seek social development for his people endowed with abundant gold deposits, others but impoverished.

The Executive Director of CeSIS, an Obuasi headquartered non-governmental research and advocacy organisation, is very innovative as development practitioner, communication consultant, media trainer, human rights activist, natural resources and environment (NRE) expert, journalist and blogger happily living in Obuasi with his adorable wife and their son.

Kojo's watchword is determination and he has, therefore, inspiringly groomed many professionals including this writer he has, over 13years, coached and given exposure to become a prolific media practitioner acclaimed by   continental and global greats.


✍🏽: Osei Kuffour
Fb: Osei Kuffour OK
E: okeditor5@gmail.com

INSPIRING GIRL EDUCATION -Philomena Agorda's journey

Tue, Feb 19, 2019

INSPIRING GIRL EDUCATION
-Philomena Agorda's journey

Born in Bankoe in the Volta Region of Ghana 40years ago, Mrs Agorda obtained her Basic Education Certificate from R/C Girls Junior High School in Ho, Intermediate Certificate in Fashion from Cape Coast Technical Institute, Advanced Certificate and Higher National Diploma in Fashion Design from Ho Polytechnic and BSc in Fashion and Textile Designs from University of Education- Kumasi.

The minimum qualification to read Fashion at Cape Coast Technical Institute was O' Level Certificate hence she had no choice but to, as the only girl among boys, settle for Auto Engineering for a year before getting the greenlight to pursue her Fashion course.
She was okay with the theoretical aspects of Auto Engineering but she would sneak to the Fashion class to sew for them when she had to go for Auto Engineering practicals that drained her energy.

Her first job, just after her Intermediate Certificate in Fashion, was as an instructor at Father Dogli Memorial Trade School in the Volta Region where she taught for 2years.
Then to Anum Presbyterian Vocational School in the Eastern Region where she has been for the past 14years.

Though an instructor in Fashion, indomitably spirited Mrs Agorda has learnt detergent production and currently has to her credit over 30 different kinds of the product she has invested in as an entrepreneur, despite the challenges in combining it with teaching, family life and further learning.

The detergent business, she underscores, has been rewarding but daunting due to constraints in sponsorship, marketing, transport, production unit, among others, but she is never giving up as she envisages training at least 5,000 Ghanaian youth every year and venturing exporting her products, all things being equal.

She has implored grammar-biased schools to value Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in such oriented departments in their schools to make their graduates readily employable.

She has admonished boys to show interests in the so-called no go areas for boys because girls, today, are defying the odds to rub shoulders with boys in all disciplines.

As a mother and mentor to many girls, Mrs Agorda has admonished girls
"to be courageous, godfearing, determined and focused" .


✍🏽: Osei Kuffour
Fb: Osei Kuffour OK
E: okeditor5@gmail.com