Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum
Headmasters in the public basic schools who fail to improve the performance of their schools within a three-year period will be demoted and not be allowed to head any other public school.
The punitive measure has been identified as part of an accountability framework designed by the Ministry of Education to improve the sense of urgency and responsibility of school heads towards the performance of students.
The initiative will be fully enforced after the implementation of a new curriculum and a National Assessment programme where ‘critical’ performance data on public schools will be collected for assessment purposes.
The Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, announced this when he addressed some stakeholders in Accra on March 19, 2019, at the Edurevolution conference organised by Infoview Data Solutions.
He explained that such a measure was necessary as public schools at the basic level had for a long time underperformed, which is partially due to low sense of urgency among some heads.
Unlike the senior high schools where the old students have keen interest in the administration of the school, he said the public schools at the basic level do not have that kind of interest from old pupils.
Dr Adutwum added that the National Assessment programme would do away with the existing practice where teachers ended up being rewarded as headmasters by virtue of serving in the educational sector for a long time.
He however gave an assurance that government would prioritise its support to low-performing schools by improving infrastructure and building the capacity of teachers in ensuring that they meet their targets.
A renowned educationist, Anis Haffar, who was speaking on the topic: “The Irony of Analogue Teachers in a Digital Age” said the benchmark of quality education should be ability of students to apply knowledge acquired in serving to make life better for others.
“Based on the Aggreyean Principle, don’t tell me what you know but show me what you can do,” he stated.
He advised teachers to always be on the lookout for new ways to add value to themselves in order to remain relevant to their profession that relies heavily on technology.
He also urged parents and teachers to develop a collegial relationship with their children in order to make learning mutual.
By Issah Mohammed