Educationist, Anis Haffar, has entreated the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to prioritise the science component of its free senior high school (SHS) programme scheduled to start in September.
He said government must find a way of including in the national curriculum a subject which will train students to take advantage of the resources endowed the country.
This, he believes would be easy because every district in Ghana is different with a natural endowment which is unique and can be taken advantage of with science education.
Mr Haffar made these remarks during an exclusive interview with Gifty Andoh Appiah on JOYNEWS’ The Pulse programme on MultiTV Friday.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced the implementation of the free SHS programme during the 2017/2018 academic year onwards when he addressed a gathering in February.
He explained by free there will not be admission fees, library fees, science centre fees, computer lab fees, examination fees and utility fees. The programme has been lauded by sections of Ghanaians despite varying information about the sources of funding for it.
Mr Haffar has said he did not wade into the argument about the cost because, “I am not clear and don’t want to be in a situation where you are shooting off and you have no idea.”
“When you are doing the right thing money is not the issue in the same way when you are doing the wrong thing, you can throw a lot of money out there and it would not make any difference.”
He said Ghana was in the same category as South Korea and other third world countries, however, they targeted science education which has benefited. He said for Ghana to be able to come out of the Third World category, a value must be added to what God has endowed the nation with.
Mr Haffar said outcomes are important as the students themselves can point to evidence of what they stand to gain at the end of their education.
“These things are key for us to begin to understand in our mind and we can start using the money to support them, else we would be getting the same results.
“We must begin to understand that education that has quality must be able to add value to Ghana’s natural endowment. Are we directing our education in Science to add value to where we are?”
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