The Founder of the Christian University College Ghana (CUC), Reverend Doctor Devine Amattey, has called for the reintroduction of experimental school concept at the basic school level if the country desires to make the best of its educational reforms.
He said the experimental school concept provided the avenue for the state to pilot new educational policies before escalating it to cover all schools.
“For every new policy at the basic level to achieve its set objectives, it is important for that policy to be piloted and then the necessary corrective measures are done before a full roll out and that was the essence of the experimental basic school concept,” he said.
The experimental school concept was evolved in the late 1960s as a vehicle to pilot new educational reforms or policies before escalating those reforms across the whole country.
Reverend Dr Devine Amattey (left) being interviewed Photo: Victor A. Buxton
It played a significant role in the introduction of the Junior Secondary School reforms in the early part of the 1970s, however, following the 1987 educational reforms, the concept seems to have been benched.
Speaking to The Ghanaian Times in Accra on Friday, Dr Amattey who is also a founding member of the group that introduced the teaching of modern mathematics in the country said the experimental school concept was not only for experimental purposes but also served as a checkpoint, giving a bird-eye-view of performance of the pupils.
“Indeed, the experimental school concept also served as the basis for instilling discipline and boosting the performance among the school pupils.
Dr Amattey explained that the continuous fall of standards of education in the country was as a result of the weak foundation at the basic level.
He said it was important that attention was paid to building the foundation of education in the country and that would imply strengthening pre-school education since that constituted the foundation of schools’ development.
Dr Amattey who is an educationist said strengthening of pre-school education would require that the Inspectorate Division of the Ghana Education Service was made robust, stressing that “The inspectorate division must ensure that each school is certified.”
In addition to this he said teacher welfare must be of paramount interest in whatever policy change is implemented, stressing that a change that refuses to take into consideration the needs and welfare of the teacher was bound to fail.
The Reverend Minister said with strong supervision and good advisors, there wouldn’t be the need for any national education forum.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
