The National Executive Director of Ghanaian National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS), Enoch Kwasi Gyetuah Ankoanna has expressed disappointment in the Ghana Education Service for allowing teachers write exams questions on blackboards for final year students.
Mr. Gyetuah who gave a general overview of different methods of students’ assessment, bemoaned why the GES and other education stakeholders are still holding onto outmoded methods in the wake of technology by preparing students for their final external papers.
“Internal examinations are organised for students to supplement for their success in their final exams, It is unimaginable to accept that students are to plagiarise internal assessment activities (internal examination questions) from the chalkboard: Where no proper records would be kept for the learner to reflect on in preparing for his summative assessment,” he noted.
He wondered, “How is this possible in our time of technology advancement whereby the sector Ministry is enthusiastically preaching for the importance of ICT in our instructional and educational purposes. Why can’t we print common exam papers for this country’s future generation in this modern competitive global market?”
The educationist advised the GES to be smart in reverting the mess created by their inactiveness and employ better methods in assessing students in the public institutions as “Ghana’s education needs quality rather than quantity”.
Below is the full statement
Assessment is the main tool in educational delivery to measure the weakness and the strength of a learner for both academic and developmental progression standards of a learner, and also a realistic component to examine the potency of teaching methods and the competence or professionalism used by the teacher in the course of delivering contents of a topic as well.
For this important reason, in the course of lesson delivery, assessment falls under the last component of educational delivery and major activities involved can be done before, during and after instructional periods.
In Ghana, we have three main forms of assessment and that is Internal assessment (formative assessment), External assessment (summative assessment) and National curriculum assessment, according to NaCCA, the institution responsible for the development of educational frameworks.
Educational dynamisms over the years have introduced many assessment tools such as Continuous Assessment (CA), School-Based Assessment (SBA) and New School-Based Assessment (NSBA), in implementation of Formative Assessment by the class teacher or the subject teacher at the basic level.
At this important level of learning progression measurements, activities used to draw feedback from the Lerner to take informed decision shouldn’t be compromised, since those activities are the only determinants and learning indicators which is dwelled on to measure the progress of the learner.
Some of these assessment indicators are End of term examination, which is set based on learning objectives of the term.
Records of these activities throughout the studies of the learner should be apt in helping the teachers and the learner reflect until the learners set for summative assessment as part of their end of course examination, whereby feedback as in the form of Certificate is issued to the learners.
Teachers on their part should not compromise in preparing learners adequately to meet the norms and or instructions governing External assessment.
Internal examinations are organised for students to supplement for their success in their final exams, It is unimaginable to accept that students are to plagiarise internal assessment activities (internal examination questions) from the chalkboard:
Where no proper records would be kept for the learner to reflect on in preparing for his summative assessment.
How is this possible in our time of technology advancement whereby the sector Ministry is enthusiastically preaching for the importance of ICT in our instructional and educational purposes.
Why can’t we print common exam papers for this country’s future generation in this modern competitive global market?
What essence is in it to develop new standard Curriculum that focuses on software development for these learners and assesses them on the chalk board?
Who is helping in this regard to retrograde our children’s educational advancement?
Why do you blame public school teachers if these learners fail to stand shoulder to
shoulder with their counterparts in private schools?
Is this the kind of educational outcomes major donors seek from their benevolence?
How much stipends and allowances come to your coffers after every meeting you attend?
Can you please publish how to conduct same assessment of your wards in those elite Schools they are enrolling?
I have come to conclude that Ghanaians have been really taken for granted…….
The Ghana National Council of private schools (Gnacops) challenges the GES COUNCIL to consider the impetus and the anomalies that would mop up if this policy should be accepted.
Ghana’s education needs quality rather than quantity.
By: Kekeli Kuatsenu/awakenewsonline.com