In a chat with a friend, a Ghanaian American, an accomplished pilot, he mentioned sadly that Ghana’s educational system is based fundamentally on the ideology of (me) as against a growth mindset of (us).
There is no (I) in the word Team.
Ghana’s fundamental educational framework is structured on grading students as per the number in a class. So if a class has fifty students, the grading system will identify the topmost student and the student who has not pulled his weight. This becomes he/she is first and that person is last. Do we have any idea how denigrating that is? We ask children not to call anyone a loser but it is okay for the blueprint to direct so from day one. That means from the very onset, educators encourage competitiveness which does not augur well for national growth. When people grow and refuse to share knowledge about how they made it or broke through the glass ceiling, we tend to call them all sorts of names. A careful examination of us and school practices will reveal this practice as true. There is the need to expunge such grading systems from our educational blueprint.
Old habits die hard. Old habits can hardly be changed but yes something can be done.
A careful yet radical overhaul of Ghana’s educational policies and systems should do it. This is not about amendments or political parties. This is not about stroking egos. This is not about the pomposity of schools attended. This is about the knowhow and efficient use of brains in drawing up a new blueprint that would effectively change the current trajectory of mindsets to a more collective platform where teamwork is a must and a given.
The so called developed countries thrive on teamwork and encourage bringing each other up.
Of what use is a national cathedral when children still study under trees and use stones as makeshift computer mice? Of what use is a national cathedral if we cannot use our God given medulla oblongata to structure our systems for progress? While other nations are going beyond the moon and Mars, we are thinking of building National Shrine to augment a yet to be built National Cathedral whose site is costing millions in demolishing and re-locating of existing structures. Why? Our very education system has crafted us to always think of being the first that we have lost sight of the fact that collectively we can do more than individually. Our educational system encourages us never to research but rather hang on tooth and nail to whatever we are spoon fed with the lecturer. We study by rote and whoever has a good memory comes out top of the class. There is no room for questions. We are encouraged to never question authority and let just things stay as it is. Yes it is deemed a taboo to question our elders and for that matter our teachers. We even have proverbs to that effect, especially that of the broom.
So yes, it is laid out. Now who will bell the cat? Or shall we continue to wallow in wanton shallow pride?
~knm │pmmeverywherellc@gmail.com
The writer is an alumnus of St. Theresa’s Prep School, Bishop Herman College, and Achimota College all in Ghana.
