The Educational think thank Africa Education Education watch has disclosed that most teachers in public basic schools are not able to able to make efficient use of instructional hours in schools due to lack of textbooks.
According to Eduwatch filed observation in some public basic schools in the country, lack of textbooks has made the majority of teachers in public basic schools keep on writing passages on the blackboard for students to copy into their exercise books which most of them copy wrongly. Majority of the students who do not have exercise books to copy turn out to be spectators.
Due to this most of the teachers have to spend twice or thrice their lessons period guiding and correcting students which indirectly affects order teachers’ lessons hence the “inefficient use of instructional hours in schools due to lack of textbooks” Eduwatch.
Africa Education Watch noted that the sad part of it is that the managers of Education in Accra who were educated with textbooks, whose children are attending better private schools in the country and outside the jurisdiction of Ghana sees nothing wrong with the current situation and continue to emphasize that not having textbooks for two years is not a problem because there are teachers resources pack.
Mr. Kwasi kwarteng the spokesperson for the Ministry of Education last week stated that the new curriculum is not textbook-centered although textbooks are relevant for effective lesson delivery.
But Eduwatch believes that there is no replacement of textbooks in Ghana’s public basic school system and hence government must Fastrack for textbooks to provide to public basic schools.
The system of Education in Ghana is hurting progress of effective teaching and learning. Our leaders must be willing to listen and be proactive.