A brief history of science education in Ghana Essay

recognition upbringing is the cultivation and disciplining the mind and former(a) faculties of an individual to habituate apprehension for improving his life, cope with an increasingly technological area, or pursue information academically and professionally, and for dealing responsibly with acquaintance related social issues (Akpan, 1992). g obsolescent coast, erst cognise as the cash seacoast, was the first African country to the south of the Sahara to gain political license from colonial rule in 1957.This former British colony of 92,000 squ ar miles (about 238,000 squ atomic number 18 kilometers) shares boundaries with three communicatory nations the Cote dIvoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north and Togo to the east. The Gulf of Guinea of the Atlantic Ocean is to the south of the country. EARLY HISTORY OF preparation BEFORE INDEPENDENCE As was the case in m some(prenominal) colonies during the primeval colonial period, the main finish of genteelness was to make civilization march hand-in-hand with evangelization (Anum Odoom, 2013). This rumor gives a clear description of how pro cosmea in gold coast was seeed at that time.The stiff, western-style program line in gold coast is directly associated with the history of European activities on the Gold Coast The Portuguese were the first Europeans to add up at the Guinea coast in 1471. Their use to establish grooms was expressed in imperial instructions that, in 1529, encouraged the Governor of the Portuguese go at Elmina to teach reading, writing, and the Catholic religion to the people. It is regard proven that the danish, Dutch and the English merchants also find out up schools in their forts and castle to educate their mulatto children by native women.Unmistakably linked to the implementation of formal rearing in Ghana with the Christian missionaries, who effected that in order to spread the word of God, they needed intumesce- educated topical anaesthetic assistants. Following the consolidation of the coastal region as the British Gold Coast Colony, the administration became more aggressive in hobby of its educational form _or_ placement of government. This was precipitated by the British purchase of the Danish property at Christiansborg in 1850 and the Dutch Elmina stronghold in 1872.To help redress problems faced by the mission schoolssuch as training local teachers and improving the tonus of educationthe administration do grants to both the Wesleyan and Basel missions in 1874. In the educational Ordinance of 1882, government grants to denominational schools were do leechlike on an assessment of the level of efficiency. The schools receiving grant-in-aid were defined as government assisted schools, but their base musical accompaniment was to come from the missions themselves and from other private sources. On the Gold Coast, the appointment of Brigadier General Gordon Guggisberg as regulator brought its own advantages.During his tenu re from 1919 with 1927, Governor Guggisberg initiated some(prenominal)(prenominal) major(ip) developmental programs that included educational improvements as a critical ingredient in his structure of a modern Gold Coast. While the forward administration had seen the provision of elementary schools by the assorted Christian missions as adequate, Guggisberg was of the conviction that the current trunk could not sustain future developments. In fact, exactly a few months by and by his arrival, the governor presented a 10- course of instruction development plan for the Gold Coast.Among other things, financing was aggressively sought for post elementary education for boys and girls. Even though the administration proposed a skillful college for Accra, the Prince of Wales College (now Achimota College) was the real trophy of the administrations educational program. This non denominational school catered for assimilators from kindergarten to the pre university level. THE BIRTH OF SCIENCE gentility The inadequacies inherent in the brass of education were discovered in the post-World War I appeal made by the Foreign Missions Conference of North the States to the Phelps-Stokes Funds for a re reckon of the state of education in Africa.The Phelps-Stokes Commission on Africa issued reports in 1922 and 1925 in which educators were criticized for lightly catering to the social and economic necessitate of the continent. The commission of which James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey was a member, called for instructions in the mechanical operations necessary for the improvement of the judicial admission of the mass majority of the people. This included science education and character training. The Phelps-Stokes funds founded in 1920, is an African precept Commission represented one of the early attempts to link black Africa with Negro America.The attempt to manufacture this link represented a concerted policy on the part of a number of missionary and philanthropic groups in the joined Kingdom and the United States to draw attention to what seemed to be analogous situations-politically, socially, and economically. Ghana is said to be the first independent sub-Saharan African country outside South Africa to put down on a comprehensive drive to press science education and the application of science in industrial and social development (Anamuah-Mensah, 1999). Science instruction after IndependenceAfter Phelps- stokes commission had pushed for the acquit of science education in Africa in oecumenic and in particular, Gold Coast, there has not been any clear cut national policy for science education in Ghana up to visualize (Ahmed, 2013). Dr Kwame Nkrumah who aimed at achieving Free Compulsory Universal staple fibre fostering instituted an Act called 1961 Act, (Act 87) . This Act was to make raw material education free and Compulsory and anyone who fails to send his or her child to school was made to pay a fund by the Minister for education.The e ducation system at that point consisted of six year of primary education, followed by quartette-years of vicarious education. At the end of the four years adapted students went on to do a devil-year sixth form course that could hunt down to a three year University course. Students, who were not suitable to continue, completed two- year of pre-vocational classes. The Nkrumah government encouraged the acquire of science by instituting a special acquaintance scheme which enabled science and agriculture undergraduates to enjoy scholarships a smallish higher than those of their counterparts in the humanities. This facility was move after 1966.Science and maths teachers were also stipendiary a little more than their colleagues in the humanities. (Djangmah, 2007) The Reforms The vii year development plan instituted by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was unretentive lived. The system was later regarded as too grand and too academic. Thus Dzobo Education Reforms of 1974 saw a reform of the sy stem, instating the petty(prenominal) standby indoctrinate (now junior-grade High School) on an experimental basis. The Junior Secondary School introduced practical subjects and activities allowing students to acquire occupational skills, which after an apprenticeship lead to the qualification for self-employment.Due to a childlike range of factors such as the economic decline, bureaucracy and sheer lack of interest the JSS-system never went beyond the experimental phase. By 1983 the education system was in a state of crisis. It faced drastic reductions in government activity financing, lack of educational materials, and deterioration of school structures, low enrollment levels and high dropout rates. With the assistance of several development partners (World Bank, Department for world-wide Development (ODA) and world-wide grants) the education system was re loted and proposals were implemented in 1987 cognize as Evans-Anfom reforms.In 1987, Ghanas Ministry of Education in troduced a restructured educational system that gradually replaced the British-based O-level and A-level system. The transit was completed in June, 1996, when the in conclusion class took A-level exams. The last O-level exams were administered in June 1994, although a remedial exam was offered by 1999 (Keteku, 2013) The 1987 Reforms had strengths as well as weaknesses. One of the strengths was that it put upd a comprehensive staple Education which improved coming to education for more children of school-going age.Junior Secondary Schools were provided end-to-end the country and this helped to increase literacy levels. The reform also introduced unvarying Assessment which formed part of the closing examination. This get wordd that native assessment in schools was included in the final examinations and this ended the single-shot examination existing in the old system. The Anamuah-Mensah Report recommended similar structure of education expert like the Evans-Anfom Report of 1986.The difference was the inclusion of two (2) years of Kindergarten education as part of Basic Education and Apprenticeship training for leavers of the Junior Secondary School who unable to or do not motivation to continue in the formal sector. The implementation of the Anamuah-Mensah Reforms began in kinfolk 2007, and it was faced with initial problems. These problems included last in the supply of syllabuses and textbooks for the smooth take-off of the programme, and teachers were not adequately prepared in terms of training to implement the reforms.These problems were later dealt with as the implementation of the reforms progressed. The next major problem being anticipated is the inadequate classrooms and other facilities as students depart enter the fourth year of Senior High School in September 2010. The Way Forward For Science Education advancement of science education in the country pull up stakes depend on three drivers of change, namely, funding, teaching and inter ventions, and look into (Akyeampong ,2007) Funding Knowledge is not cheap. Science, engine room and mathematics acquaintance required to move the country into the knowledge society can never be cheap.Governments commitment to science education should be demonstrated in the level of resources allocated to science and technology. Laboratories and workshops in the schools, teacher training colleges, universities and polytechnics should be well furnished and youthful ones constructed to take into consideration the increasing student population. Research The knowledge society thrives on the creation of new knowledge. Research provides the means by which new knowledge is created. Resources, both material and human, for search in science and technology are woefully inadequate or non-existent.This has had a profound effect on the development of post graduate question in the universities. A number of measures need to be taken to strengthen explore in science and technology in or der to meet the demands of the country. The following are being suggested Research in research institutions and the universities should be adequately funded. Most researches carried out in the universities are those that interest the researchers and are hence supply- control the Government should quarrel our scientists and provide funds to carry out research on problems confronting the country.This can be done by the provision of research funds to be competed for by all scientists in the country. Establish a interior(a) Science Research Facilities Centre equipped with world class specialized facilities which are normally dearly-won and therefore beyond the means of single institutions, to provide opportunities for Ghanaian researchers to carry out scientific research and development and retain local researchers as well as attract foreign ones. To improve the fictional character of science education at all levels, research in science and technology should include research on tea ching and learning science, technology and mathematics.engraft special awards for best researchers and science teachers. This could be termed the hot seats Award for Science to be accustomed annually. We need to celebrate achievement. Set up a formal scheme for mentoring the Youth- This is critical to the development of a career path in science for the youth. Mentors consign interest in junior colleagues and help them to fling the path. This experience is however rare in the universities. These days, newly recruited scientists struggle to keep afloat with little or no detain.A formal mentoring system should be established in all institutions to ensure that young scientists recruited into the universities or research institutions are link up to professors and senior scientists in their fields of study to play advice and support. The mentoring can take the form of joint research, publications and presentations at conferences and seminars. To raise the level of awareness of scie nce and technology innovation (research) and foster a synergy among education, persistence and research institutes, a project referred to as SMART.MOVES in some countries should be established in secondary schools. This project go away involve encouraging schools through visits, presentations and seminars to work on problem solving projects with support from the community. The projects will be assessed and students with innovative and creative projects will be invited to present their projects at a Junior Scientist Conference which will be attended by senior scientists who can later act as mentors for the students. Prizes will be given to students based on the quality of project and presentation.The Ghana Academy of Science and Arts can take up this. terminus The vision of the field Science and Technology form _or_ system of government is to support national socio-economic development goals with a view to lifting Ghana to a middle income status by the year 2020 through the perp etuation of a science and technology culture at all the levels of society, which is driven by the promotion of innovation and the mastery of known and proven technologies and their application in industry, and other sectors of the frugality. (MEST, 2000)This vision can become a ingenuousness when science education is given a make headway at all levels of education. It has been suggested that the promotion of science education hinges on three pillars funding, teaching and intervention, and research. Without adequate funding, quality teachers, supportive intervention activities and research to illuminate our understanding, science education will have no clashing on the everyday lives of Ghanaians and the observation made by the bailiwick Development Planning Commission will remain true.Our national vision for science and technology will be therefore be meaningless. REFERENCES Ahmed, M. (2012). Ghana to launch National Science policy. Retrieved 4th October, 2013, from http//www. ghanaweb. com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel. php? ID=235350. Akpan, O. E. (1992) Toward notional Science teaching and learning in wolfram African school. Ghana catholic Press Akyeampong, K. (Centre for external Education, University of Sussex, England) in his lecture on 50 historic period of Educational Progress and Challenge in Ghana, at Parliament House, London, England 2007 Anamuah-Mensah, J.(1999). Science and Technology Education in Ghana. A paper delivered at the National education Forum on the theme Towards Sustaining an telling National Education System, held at the Accra International Conference Centre, Accra, 17-19th November. Anum-Odoom, A. K. M . Educational Reforms in Ghana, 1974-2007. Retrieved on 12th October, 2013, from http//www. ghanaweb. com/GhanaHomePage/blogs/blog. article. php? blog=2091&ID=1000004125- Djangmah, J. S.Clarifying Ghanas national vision for the application of science and technology to development. Retrieved on 12th October, 2013, from http //www. ghanansem. org/index. php? option=com_content&task=view&id=234 Keteku, N. W (EDUCATIONAL REFORM IN GHANA THE ranking(prenominal) SECONDARY SCHOOL). Retrieved 10th October, 2013, from http//www. bibl. u-szeged. hu/oseas_adsec/ghana. htm Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST) (2000). National Science and Technology Policy Document. Accra MEST.