A total of 411 out of the 465 candidates who scored grade A in all subjects at the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), were students from Ghana pioneering the Government’s Free Senior High School (SHS) Programme.

Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, the immediate past Minister of Education, at the fourth session of the fifth Congregation of the University for Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) on Saturday, said 2020 became the only year 50 per cent of Ghanaian students scored A1 to C6 in all core subjects.

He said the feat vindicated the President’s commitment to free education-the lifeline to the nation’s growth, and which must therefore be given the needed support.

“This clear testament to the vision of President Akufo Addo’s Free SHS programme tells us that when we harness every child’s potential and put in the resources and hard work, we enrich our human resource base and put him or her on a path to progress and prosperity,” Dr Opoku Prempeh, who now heads the Energy Ministry, stated.

He said the potency of the programme was sure to exert pressure on tertiary institutions, and urged them to endeavour to harness the capacities of the “fine young minds.”

The Minister said as universities such as UHAS strove to become world-class institutions, they must be considered as national assets helping to provide quality workforce.

He added that tertiary institutions must admit students from all parts of the nation, and that “there should be no discrimination in the recruitment of faculty, students or management,” he said.

Ghana has been leading the WASSCE score for the past six years running, and the 2020 result doubled the previous year’s count of 220 8As.

Nigeria claimed the remaining of the 2020 straight As.

The Ministry of Education will from next academic year integrate hearing-impaired students into the conventional senior high school system, piloting with one school, the sector Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has said.

This follows the minister’s observation at the Takoradi Technical University (TTU) where there is the combination of both hearing and hearing-impaired students with the help of a sign language interpreter.

At the launch of the five-year strategic plan and endowment fund of the university, Dr Adutwum commended the institution for its works in the disability community by offering admission to those with hearing impairment and giving them the opportunity they would not have had.

Disability support initiative

TTU has become a pioneer in technical university education and training for persons with disability. The university continues to provide an academic setting where students with disability are suitably supported so that they could accomplish their full potential and make career choices for themselves.

Currently, TTU has 74 students with disabilities at the university as it strives to ensure that no student is deprived of his/her inclusion and participation in any aspect of university life as a result of a disability.

One public school

Dr Adutwum said: “TTU’s innovation of integration of hearing impaired is throwing a challenge to the country and “we are taking a lesson from you. Having seen what you have managed to do, I ask myself, if TTU can do this, why can’t we have one public high school where we will fully integrate those who are hard on hearing?”

That, Dr Adutwum said, would ensure that young people or students with those challenges could also access science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and help them pursue their dream.

“If the visually impaired have such schools that are fully integrated, why can’t we do the same for the hearing impaired?” he said, saying that from next academic year, “at least one high school would begin and … we will have people to translate for them”.

Opportunities

With such an arrangement, the education minister said, the hearing impaired would have the same opportunity to access the content and they too could get the Ghanaian promise, “a promise that says if you want to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the state, you will succeed.”

Dr Adutwum urged the management of TTU to stay focused and ensure that at the end of the five-year strategic plan, they would have the highest employability among the community of technical universities in the country.

Viability

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Rev. John Frank Eshun, said the strategic plan sought to provide clear objectives and direction for the university, identify and focus on viable and realistic strategies and activities.

“Through the strategic plan, we seek to promote optimum utilisation of available resources and maximum realisation of stated goals and objectives for efficiency.”

The strategic plan, he said, would also ensure the responsiveness to environmental forces — demands and expectations and create opportunities for growth, expansion and sustainability.­­

These days much attention has been focused on the science for a more perfect form of education delivery. Here, a straight narrative without considering other creative possibilities makes it difficult to integrate all points of view and different modes of delivery.

However, there are some basics to be followed.

On the first day of school, a good many students are ready and willing — and despite their own denials—they are eager to learn. How do we keep this eagerness alive through each term and year?

Whoever and wherever you are as a teacher, there is a younger person who thinks you are perfect.

Teachers must then create a positive classroom environment where an expectation of high achievement exists.

There is some work that will never be done if you don’t do them. The following tips may be used to help teachers and school heads begin each new term positively:

Positive attitude

Students need to see and feel that teachers are ready and excited about the new term. Smile! If you are not happy to be in school, how can you expect your students to be happy?

If you act like you don’t want to be there, how can you expect them to want to be there, and with you?

Remember the lyrics from the song: “When you’re smiling the whole world smiles with you.”

The importance of setting a positive tone at the beginning of each new term cannot be stressed enough.

Despite their grumblings, students truly want to learn, and they speak unfavourably about classes where they sit around and do nothing much. Make each classroom a place of learning where each teacher is upbeat.

A positive tone is infectious, so say “Please” and “Thank you” often to the students. Where expected behaviour is modelled, they are more likely to be emulated.

Learn students’ names quickly and remember to grow their confidence and resourcefulness by involving them openly.

As an example, do not complain to students about all the things you don’t have. Focus on what you have, and how they can participate by filling in the gaps and providing what they can.

Like a countervailing force, the busier teachers are — in doing everything by themselves—the lazier the students get and detach themselves from the class proceedings.

Be prepared

Have lesson plans and schemes of work ready for the first day. A well-planned day will make things go a lot smoother.

Remember the 6 Ps: Proper Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance! Be ready for the first day.

Ideally Schemes of Work / Weekly Forecasts have to be displayed visibly on bulletin boards in each classroom.

On the first day, it will be appropriate to spend time going over the topics to be discussed during the term.

And even begin to assign responsibilities: Who will lead particular discussions, bring in particular materials, control distribution and collecting of materials, take attendance (if they are trained to do so).

Establish leadership teams. Have an agenda on the board before the students arrive. An agenda — and possibly posters about topics during the term — creates an atmosphere that good things are going to happen.

In the lesson notes, there is a tendency for many teachers to focus unduly on what the “teacher will” do.

Emphasis should rather be on what “students will” do. Remember, it is the learner who has to be dominant, not the teacher. Engage students and they will achieve more if you expect the best from them.

Safe Environment

Make your schools and classrooms physically safe places for all students. Clear the hallways of broken chairs, desks, tables, etc.

Avoid heaping materials on top of cupboards as they may drop and hurt someone. Likewise, be cognisant of psychological safety.

Develop the empathy to see things from your students’ perspective in an effort to detect and prevent anxiety provoking conditions.

For example, humiliating or embarrassing situations may so pile up that a student comes to hate or fear everything connected with school.

Strong positive experiences displace negative tendencies. Show the youth that you take interest in their well-being and that they “belong” to the class, and in the group.

Comportment

On the first day, define an appropriate student posture in answering questions. Pupils need to be discouraged from speaking with their hands (gesturing), from persistently pointing at objects, and so on.

Help them to find the right words for the objects they tend to point to in talking; for lower classes it may mean posting the names on the objects in the class.

For the listening mode, they need to sit upright, with their backs straight to ease the flow of energy. Slouching and other inappropriate postures need to be avoided; they impair the correct growth of spine.

Punctuality

For new teachers, that first day of school is the source of anxiety and excitement in “flying solo”. Be in class on time.

Attend to personal needs ahead of time. Get your room organised. Have all materials ready for the first day so that you don’t have to search for anything when the class begins.

Make sure that classroom desks are neatly arranged, and floors are cleared of trash at all times, not after the class or the next morning.

Cleanliness is next to godliness at all times, not sometimes.

Remember the COVID-19 protocols: Masks, hand sanitisers and appreciable distances where possible.

The writer is a trainer of teachers, a leadership coach, a motivational speaker and a quality education advocate.
E-mail: anishaffar@gmail.com

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