Review Maths syllabus ... To allow pupils appreciate practical usefulness of subject — Dr Sogbey

The President of the Africa Development Council (ADC), Dr Bright Atsu Sogbey, has said the basic school syllabus for Mathematics should be revived to allow the pupils to appreciate the practical usefulness of the subject in everyday life. 

He said the teaching of Mathematics in basic schools should be done in such a way that it would make the pupils apply the knowledge in solving problems around them. 

“This will make them appreciate the learning of Mathematics and enhance their interest in the subject,” he emphasised.

Dr Sogbey said this at ADC’s Executive Council In-Person Meeting in Accra.

The event, which aimed to deliberate on critical issues affecting the development of the ADC, was on the theme: “Intra-Africa Trade & Productive Capacity of Member States”

Promote

ADC seeks to promote industrial implementation of Science & Technology Research Findings. That is, moving away from the usual talk shop to an era of implementation of Science & Technology research findings; for national development, poverty eradication, job creation, reduction in high incidence of diseases, peace restoration to Africa, as well as good governance.

Dr Sogbey said Africa still struggled in the quest for scientific and technological revolution for industrialisation and poverty eradication culminating in economic stability, a road map for the continental domestication agenda.

“For it is richer to be taught how to fish than to be given fish,” he said. 

Excellent standard of education, he said was the bedrock of the Industrial Revolution and, therefore, a failed system of education was a failed system of industrialisation.

“The massive educational system failure is an economic failure. Figures from the West African Examinations Council show that the pass rate of students who sat for the Basic Education Certificate Examination has been on a constant downward decline since the previous government”. 

Government

Dr Sogbey said the current educational system in Ghana and within the West African Sub-region, “With the three-year basic and second cycle study and four-year first degree, is just only appropriate for economic revolution provided the schools are well-resourced and teachers highly motivated to optimise the existing contact hours with a well-structured monitoring regime”.

He said it was, therefore, unjustifiable on the part of the educational authorities at the basic level, making any attempt to extend the existing contact hours which “I am told, includes even the weekends as being one of the measures to reverse the massive failures in the country’s basic level of education.

The policy, he said if true, would be doing more harm to the pupils than good, since they needed ample time to study privately.

Dr Sogbey called on the government to ensure that at least one per cent of GDP was spent on Mathematics, Science & Technology.

Sub-Saharan African countries spent an average of just 0.3 per cent of their GDP on S&T (Science and Technology) in 2007, instead of at least 1 per cent GDP proposed by the African Union (AU).

The Vice-President (Technical Cooperation and Treasury) of the ADC, Sampson Klutsey Gamenyah, said the main objective of the organisation was to promote sustainable industrial development in Africa through collaboration.

He said the council, in selecting the theme, was conscious about the differences in nature, technology and cultural values that gave every country a comparative advantage over another in relation to production of goods  and services.

In a welcome address the Executive Council Chairman of ADC, Dr Prince Kofi Kludjeson, said the country banking policies must be looked at critically stressing that “if this is done, we will not go to the IMF for $3 billion.”