The Dean of the University of Cape Coast School of Buisness, Prof. John Gatsi has said the recent developments in second cycle education where some students spent only 37 days in school and were asked to vacate for 56days for first year students to come goes a long way to affect contact hours negatively and compromised quality.
Prof. Gatsi made this remarks when he was giving Keynote Address on the topic “Quality Second Cycle Education in Ghana: the Role of Stakeholders” at the 70th anniversary celebrations of Keta Secondary Technical School (Ketasco) held today at Keta in the Volta Region of Ghana.
He said educational authorities should not trivialize the critical issue of contact hours arguing that truncated contact hours is the reason why parents resoughting to paying so much to arranged classes for their children to enable them complete the syllabi.
According to him, this situation creates inequality and inequity for many students adding that “though targeting second cycle education has implications for politics and votes”, he believes effective stakeholder engagement should produce better and lasting quality outcomes.
The educationist use the opportunity to touch on Vice President Dr Bawumia’s proposal to give tablet each to Senior High Students.
“A broad stakeholder engagement and debate about allowing students in second cycle institutions to use phones and tablets at the bank of the call by the Vice President, Dr. Bawumia to gift a tablet each to Senior High Students. This should generate discussion as to whether to change the policy of not allowing the use of phones and tablets in the schools.” – He said
He noted that Junior High Students who are largely day students are given assignments which largely demands the use of phones and tablets to do the homework.
“So there must certainly be a discussion to ensure creative learning by our students.” – he added
The role of the Parent and Teachers Association was not left out in his address. The lawyer said PTA accountability and transparency is needed saying there are reported cases of misuse of PTA dues. He thus called for a proper structures to put in place to assure contributors whiles calling for those who misapplied PTA dues to be punished because it negatively affects infrastructure projects in the schools.
He inspired teachers to be role models and a motivational force fo students and described teachers as indispensable in quality educational delivery. Prof. Gatsi further asked Ghanaians schools to look at quality holistically saying that if a school has three programs of which one is churning out good grades and others are not then quality in his view is not holistic. He said what schools celebrate for quality is just celebrating extreme top performers .
The celemoney has the Awormefia of Anlo State, Torgbui Sri III as the royal guest of honour with Torgbui Tamakloe VI as the Chairman. The event was attended by Old Students (Dzolalians) from home and abroad with other prominent personlities like Mr. Ben Dotse Malor, Hon James Klutse Avedzi, Titus Glover and Kojo Mattah gracing the occasion.
Prof. John Gatsi is also once of the prominent Old Student of the school. He enrolled in Ketasco in 1988 and completed in 1993 and 1995 for his A’ level.
Prof. Gatsi called on past students to see the 70th anniversary as a time to reflect on the past years to rededicate to defining what they want Ketasco to be in terms of infrastructure, capacity of the school to enroll more students and make Ketasco attractive to all.
Some few pictures from the event:
