Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has stated that the country appears to have lost its basic values and principles in the education sector.
In his view, issues of discipline, patriotism and ethics, which are the building blocks of every country’s development, no longer find space in education curricular.
Addressing Members of Parliament (MPs) during the business of the House on Tuesday, the Speaker said these issues required a “deep look” by the Ministry of Education to address the challenge.
“It is my expectation that in the years to come the Committee of Parliament on Education will be in the position to report to the House as to how Ghana can surmount the menace of bushfires and improve on, particularly the curricular of education in this country.
“We seem to have lost very basic values and principles in our education sector. Issues of discipline, patriotism, ethics and so many things,” he stressed, while commenting on a statement in commemoration of the International Day of Education by the MP for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, and another on bushfires by Yusif Sulemana, MP for Bole-Bamboi.
Speaker Bagbin continued, “No country develops without these fundamental building blocks. So this together with the sector ministers should take a deep look into these areas.”
“I believe it is part of the responsibilities of the Committees by Article 103 of the 1992 Constitution,” he posited.
Meanwhile, Speaker Kingsford Bagbin has directed the Committee on Defence and Interior as well as the Education Committee of Parliament to reach out to the sector ministries to take a critical look at bushfires and the role of education for peace and development.
“Kindly look at all issues in each subject area, including the financing, institutional arrangement and policy,” he appealed and added, “I hereby direct the Clerk of Parliament to submit to the ministries concerned copies of the statements and contributions from members.”
“You all recall the great illustrious son of Ghana, who was born at Chorkor, called Emman Kwegyir Aggrey, one of the fore bearers of education in the whole of Africa,” he stated and quoted him as saying “If you educate a man you educate an individual but if you educate a woman you educate a whole nation.”
The Speaker explained that “what he seems to tell us is that he predicated this statement with a more profound statement which says ‘the surest way to keep people down is to educate the man and neglect the woman.’”
“This was a revolution statement which led to co-education in the Gold Coast and the establishment of Achimota Secondary School. What is even more relevant to our purpose is what he said, “I don’t care what you know. Show me what you can do.” So education is not just a matter of degrees. How do you translate that into action and produce something good for society,” he noted.
By Ernest Kofi Adu, Parliament House