been identified as a major cause of loss of valuable instruction time
in schools, Mr Michael Nsowah, immediate past Director-General of the
Ghana Educational Service (GES) on Saturday observed.He said recent
study by an international donor agency on 25 senior secondaryschools
has confirmed the assertions, adding that actual contact hours were
only about 65 per cent of the instruction time.Mr Nsowah was speaking
at 79th Annual Speech and Prize-Giving Day of the Achimota Secondary
School, on the occasion of the school's 80th birthday.
He said with only three years of senior secondary school education, it
was obvious that time lost for organized instruction could affect the
progress of students.Mr Nsowah said indiscipline has become a canker
in educational institutions and it was even becoming widespread in
strong traditional areas where such misbehaviour was previously
unknown.
He said "Unfortunately, many students have became architects of
unimaginable social vices such as armed robbery, drug trafficking and
drug abuse."
Mr Nsowah observed that drug abuse was the underlying causes of
many of the crimes that threatened life and property in schools.He
said the youth needed to understand that a highly respected school was
one that combined academic excellence with moral integrity.
"Sound moral upbringing of students, helps them individually to
develop an exemplary character worthy of emulation and a clear sense
of identity, integrity and what they believe to be excellent virtues
in life, Mr Nsowah said.He said discipline and hard work were
essential tools that students could not overlook.Mr Nsowah, however,
noted that unfortunately sometimes, the misbehaviour of teachers such
as absenteeism, alcoholism, improper dressing and other unprofessional
conduct sent the wrong signals for the students.
Mr Michael Wilson, a Swiss-based business consultant and former
student of the school, said he was dispirited because Achimota was no
longer seen to be creating a culture in which great leaders could
emerge.He said "Something in our spirit has left us, something in our
values has been surrendered, something in our standards has abandoned
us almost to the soft bigotry of low expectation.We do not seem to
produce solemnly respectable young men and women of pleasing manners,
conservative in social life, in fact gentlemen and ladies to the last
degree".Mr Wilson said that all was not lost and called on the school
authorities and past students of the school to consider the occasion
of Ghana's 50th anniversary as an opportunity to make Achimota shine
once again, and even brighter.
He urged the students to be courageous, perseverant,
self-knowledgeable and visionary, just and above all to become future
good leaders of the country.Giving an overview of the school
activities for the year 2005/2006, Mrs Flora Ivy Mensah, Acting
Headmistress of Achimota, said the period saw a significant
improvement in the performance of students in the Senior Secondary
School Certificate Examinations. She said with 100 per cent passes,
320 students out of a total of 485 candidates had grades A and B in
core Mathematics, 400 had grades A and B in Integrated Science whilst
401 had grades A and B in Social Studies.
Mrs Mensah said with the advent of private universities in the
country, many students felt that it was no longer necessary to compete
for limited vacancies in public universities.
She, therefore, called on the GES to endorse repetition for students
would not deserve to be promoted to the next class. Prizes and various
categories of awards were given to students who excelled in various
subjects to teachers and other past staff of the school for their
meritorious service.
28 Jan. 07
