Features
The blind leading the Blind?
I believe we all know what the situation will be when a blind leads another blind. This is what the likely scenario will be in a few years in our education sector if care is not taken by those in charge of providing quality education to the coming generations.
Only recently, some textbooks have found themselves in basic schools that have raised a lot of concerns about their contents, some bordering on what some describe as tribal or ethnic bigotry. What it means is that some ethnic groups (tribes) have been sighted for ridicule and disdain. How an author can put such stuff in writing for young minds to imbibe beats the mind completely unless that author has a personal agenda to poison these young minds.
People are known to malign others in fictional story books, biographies and autobiographies or even in poetry, but textbooks? Anyway, personal agenda or not, the thrust of my write-up today is how the stuff in some of these textbooks is packaged. Because the official language of Ghana is English, the language becomes the tool of any endeavour to educate or inform the student.
That my 13-year-old grandniece puts down a textbook and, with a red pen in hand, sets to correct the grammar of one such published material, is a clear indictment on our education system. She picks up wrong spelling, wrong punctuation and many other proofreading errors in a book that is supposed to be approved for basic education in this country. Meanwhile, the author of the textbook in question definitely is not a basic school student. But my little girl identified 39 errors of grammar, spelling and punctuation in this textbook.
I hear there is a National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) that has the responsibility of vetting all materials meant to serve as textbooks for education purposes. The question I have for NaCCA is: do they just pass everything that a publisher puts forward into the system? Is the Council not clothed to vet grammar, content and factual presentation of content?
Meanwhile, on NaCCA’s website are a lot of rejected publications, yet these offensive textbooks met the criteria for use by schools. How come? Where are the safety nets around the release of materials for schools? Does NaCCA have competent staff to look at or vet all the areas that make a textbook appropriate for education purposes? I am referring to proofreading issues and factual presentation of texts. Or anyone is allowed to conjure their own ‘facts’ from hearsay or their own fertile minds and imagination and publish them for our school children?
We as a nation cannot allow authors of textbooks to behave like illiterate bloggers who write any trash on social media platforms for public consumption. We are discussing the future of our young generation who need guidance and decorous learning in truthfulness and correctness of the medium in which they are expressed. We cannot assume that young minds are discerning enough to determine what is right stuff or trash.
I was caned in Primary Four for daring to tell my class teacher that it was not Tetteh Quarshie who introduced cocoa to Ghana and that before he brought in the Fernando Po variety, there was cocoa in this country. There are records today that show that there was cocoa in our land long before Tetteh Quarshie was even born. Young as I was then, I knew because my late father was a cocoa farmer and knew the difference between the Tetteh Quarshie variety and what was in existence before him.
So, because people are looking to make quick money, they have no time to do proper research into the subject matter they want to produce for education purposes? Definitely, we kill the soul of a nation by this kind of shoddy exercises in the guise of textbooks. In which traditional area in Ghana, for instance, are chiefs elected? We all know that our chieftaincy institution is not clothed in an electoral process.
What is the role of the Ghana Education Service and, by extension, the Ministry of Education in all of this? Do they just flood the classrooms with these materials because NaCCA has found them good for our children? I have heard and watched the Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service vigorously defending one of these offensive materials and I felt sick to my stomach.
Now, to the most intriguing part: is the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) going to examine these basic school children based on the bad grammar, punctuations and spellings? What about the blatant falsehood in the historical narrative of these authors? Can WAEC explain what its role will be in this matter of offensive textbooks serving as reference points for our school children?
It is not only the future of our young generation that is at stake here, but that of the nation as a whole. I see a future where the nation’s foundation is predicated on total falsehood accepted as the truth. If NaCCA, GES and the Ministry of Education are blind, one can foresee the abyss our education is running into.
These institutions of state must bear the vicarious responsibility for the end result that comes out of shoddy and unprofessional educational materials for our school children. They can rescue themselves by ordering a total withdrawal of all these offensive materials from our schools immediately. And the time to act is now, unless they are all blind.
Every child needs protection. They need protection from falsehood; protection from bigots with evil intent. The child needs protection from conniving officialdom today, not tomorrow.
By Dr. Akofa K. Segbefia
Writer’s email address:
akofa45@yahoo.com
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Features
The Prophet part 2
“I can see in the spirit, that some of you have been trading for years without seeing any meaningful profits, some young women have been disappointed by men who have either abandoned them and left for foreign lands and forgotten about them, or stopped sending money for the upkeep of their wives and children.
I can see young men who are desperate for visas to travel abroad but have either been duped by visa contractors or refused at the embassies. From tomorrow, I assure you, the visas will be given.
Young women, I have news for you. You will receive telephone calls, and you will hear very good news. Handsome young men with money in their pockets will come and marry you, and take care of you. Traders, you will get big business and big profits from today. From today, you will see that I am a true prophet who has come to deliver you.”
Shouts of “Amen,” “thank you Prophet” and “I receive it” greeted his sermon. After a final prayer, he asked the congregation to come early the following day, and bring others, because there would be many testimonies.
There would also be “special anointing” for great miracles. Although he did not ask for an offering, most of the people came and dropped notes, and coins at the “pulpit.” When they left, Antobam counted the money.
“GH¢900!” he almost shouted, ‘and I did not even ask for an offering. This is fantabulous!’ Going to the Nana Kofi Broni shrine, he told himself, was a very wise move.
He started making plans……He had to choose a few assistants who would carry out his orders……. He had to hire some chairs as soon as possible……He had to find a suitable piece of land and, if possible, build his own church……. He had to start looking for a nice car, befitting the status of a popular preacher …… And, most importantly, he had to select two, three or four nice, young women to take care of his needs, apart from the servants who would cook, wash, iron and do other errands for him.
Abruptly, he told himself, this hungry, scruffy Kukurantumi boy was being transformed into a man of power and money, with some of the most beautiful women in town at his beck and call. Wow!
After a shower and supper, he shut the door to the very small room that served as his bedroom and dropped on the bed. Almost immediately, the shrill sounds, like whispers, began.
This time he did not express any fears. He realised to his great surprise that even though the sounds were not in the form of any language, he could understand them.
Tomorrow there will be testimonies……they will give money……. some rich people are being prepared …….they will bring big money ………. we will give them what they want, and they will bring money ……. big money …….big, big money……the women will also come, a number of them. ‘
He went to sleep smiling and whispering to himself, ‘big, big money, and women!’
He woke up at 5 and took a shower. After a breakfast of tea and several slices of bread he set off. On reaching the venue he saw to his great surprise that the place was full.
Very full, and quite a number of people rushed to embrace him and give him the wonderful news. The excited people narrated the testimonies about big sales, telephone calls from relatives directing them to go to Western Union, and impotent husbands who had miraculously rediscovered their magic powers.
He was truly glad that Nana Kofi Broni’s magic had already started working, but most of his attention was focused on the ladies in the congregation. He noticed to his great delight that some of them were really nice. I must start making my selection, he told himself. Today!
“Give a mighty clap offering to the great, mighty one for his wonders among us!” he started, and the response was very big.
“I said yesterday that you were going to see signs and wonders, and I am very happy that my word has been fulfilled. Even though we have taken allowed one hour for testimonies, many more of you would like to testify.
Tomorrow, I promise you that there will be ample time. I will only preach a short sermon. The rest of the time will be taken up by consultations, after which I will give directions on what to do to ensure that you defeat your enemies, secure your marriage and, most importantly, continue increasing your profits in your business.” His sermon was interspersed with ecstatic shouts of “Amen,” “it is true,” “God bless you” and “I receive it.”
His final word was emphatic; “Big miracles are coming your way. Keep attending church, and don’t forget to give thanks to God.”
By Ekow de Heer
Features
Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship launches project to transform young lives
The Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI) Ghana has launched the Senior High Schools and Colleges Project (SCP) aimed at empowering and transforming the lives of young people.
Speaking at the launch, Professor Mike Ocquaye, the former Speaker of Parliament, emphasised the need to catch them young and train them as the current times were challenging.
He lauded the project, calling on all to support it, saying “In fact, it’s very important to catch them young, train them, lead them, guide them, and mentor them because the times are indeed rough,” Prof. Ocquaye said.
Mr Ekow Egyir Dadson, the Director, Schools and Colleges Directorate, stated that since its inception in 2018, the SCP had reached over 70 educational institutions with countless testimonies of transformation.
“We began with the Presbyterian Boys Secondary School (PRESEC) Legon, and now in 2024, we have visited 74 schools and impacted the lives of over 100,000 students, some of whom were personally mentored and now have graduated from the universities.”
He explained that the SCP, a vision by FGBMFI Ghana, was a bold outreach programme designed to call young people to Christ, train and equip them for the future.
He cited testimony-sharing, mentorship, career guidance, entrepreneurship and counseling as some of the unique approaches to be used in reaching out to the targeted students.
Mr Emmanuel Baba Mahama, the National President of the FGBMFI Ghana, launched the SCP Manual, which would help the FGBMFI Zonal Family Chapters across Ghana in order to adopt schools and colleges within their catchment areas.
The Schools and Colleges project is making a great impact; we have had first-hand testimonies from school heads, teachers, and students (mentees) about the SCP. This project has come to stay, Mr Baba Mahama assured.
He, therefore, called for more volunteers and partners to help the SCP shape the next generation of leaders and citizens.
Findings by the FGBMFI revealed that Ghana’s senior high schools, colleges, and university students face growing challenges like addictions, indiscipline, poor academic performance, pornography, homosexuality, broken homes, and a lack of godly guidance.
That had been a concern to many parents and society, “but the FGBMFI believes there is hope to rescue and restore these young students,” Mr Mahama said. –GNA
