Not teachers, but your inconsistent policies are to blame for Ghana’s education system’s poor quality – UTAG Prez to minister

The President of the University of Ghana branch of the University Teachers Association of Ghana, (UG-UTAG), Dr Samuel Nilirmi Nkumbaan, has refuted an assertion by the Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Technician and Vocational Education Training (TVET), Gifty Twum-Ampofo, that teachers are responsible for the country’s economic challenges.

According to Dr Samuel Nilirmi Nkumbaan, the statement made by the deputy minister does not add up because teachers only implement educational policies enacted by the government through her ministry.

He added that most of the policies outlined by the government do not even come with the needed materials that would ensure effective implementation.

“The government has the responsibility in terms of policies regarding education and over the past couple of decades the various educational reforms that have come, have come out of the blue from the government without even consultation with the teachers and the teacher unions.

“… and so, you cannot expect that with these erratic reforms which don’t come along with requisite material needs as well as the fact that the lecturer population is way inadequate in comparison to the number of students you get quality at the same level of other countries,” he told GhanaWeb in an interview on Monday, July 7, 2023,

The academic added that it is not logical to compare the effectiveness of Ghana’s education system to that of advanced countries because of the size of classes in Ghana.

“For example, I worked as a deputy lecturer in the US and I had to teach two classes; one of them was nine students 13 students… so if I have a class of 9, 10 students, you can guarantee that I would be more effective than trying to handle 1000 students,” he said.

He said that it’s a fact that universities in Ghana produce some of the best graduates in the world and thus teachers cannot be blamed when it comes to the quality of education.

“The quality failure comes from the government in terms of the reforms that come without consultation,” he reiterated.

What the deputy minister said?

Gifty Twum-Ampofo explained that for any country’s economy to perform well, it largely depends on its gross tertiary enrolment ratio.

She, therefore, bemoaned the fact that Ghana has a low gross tertiary enrolment ratio owing to the poor performance of students which in effect has a significant negative impact on the economy, starfm.com.gh reports.

“Research has proven that any country’s gross tertiary enrolment ratio has so much to do with GDP. So for our instructors and for our lecturers here once you have this responsibility and you get so much commitment then we are sure that the gross tertiary enrollment ratio will definitely increase and when that increases the GDP of the country will increase.”

“And for this simple reason, if the economy is not doing well, it is not the economists, it is the teachers. Let me say that again if the economy is not doing well, it is not the finance minister, it is not the economist, it is the teacher because the performance of the economy depends on the country’s gross tertiary enrollment ratio,” she is quoted on Saturday, July 1, 2023, while speaking at the 175th Anniversary of Presbyterian College of Education.

Gifty Twum-Ampofo further stressed that in countries whose gross tertiary enrolment ratio is 40% and above, their GDP is fantastic and in those with lower gross tertiary enrolment ratio, the economy is struggling hence urged teachers to do more to contribute their quota to the economic growth of the country through the training of the needed human capital for economic transformation.

“Countries who have their 40% and above the GDP is fantastic and those of us who have it lower, the economy is struggling. So now the solution is a foundation that you have provided as a teacher.”