Features
The Ghana Education Service And Culture Education Delivery At The Pre-University Level: A Critical Appraisal By Michael Akenoo Theatre Critic.
Culture education at the pre-university level in Ghana is the sole responsibility of the Ghana Education Service.
This arduous and challenging responsibility has posed some difficulties to the Ghana Education Service in the context of funding, logistics, efficiency; and the achievement of the set down objectives as far as the Ghanaian culture education delivery is concerned at the pre-university level of the education ladder.
It is quite evident that there is much to be expected from the Ghana Education Service since it set up the culture unit besides its other divisions such as finance and administration, Inspectorate special education etc. This state of affairs is much worrying and needs to be addressed urgently.
It is clear that since the culture unit was set up, it has been continually discriminated against,and given very little attention as compared to the other divisions of the Ghana Education Service up to date.
As a result, the culture unit has continually and consistently been performing poorly and below standard up to date.
In fact, the culture unit has suffered much neglect to the detriment of the realization of the noble objectives for which it was up to achieve. Consequently, it has lost its direction as expected to benefit Ghana as far as the inculcation of the Ghanaian culture among the youth is concerned.
This state of affairs is deplorable and something drastic must be done by the Ghana Education Service now in order to reverse this unpleasant situation; and make culture education delivery at the pre-university level more realistic, meaningful and rewarding to benefit the country.
It is a fact that subsequent directors of the culture unit of the Ghana EducationService had been finding it extremely difficult if not impossible, to efficientlyadminister and run the unit as a result of the perennial problems facing the unit.Infrastructure and logistics are virtually non-existent, let alone the availability of adequate funds to make things move smoothly and easily to achieve ends of various cultural programmes that the unit can initiate and implementto promote and develop the Ghanaian culture.
Based on my critical observation as one who had had the experience of working in the culture unit of the Ghana Education Service as an assistant director and co-ordinator of drama education in the country, this unit needs drastic transformation to put it in the right track for quality and efficient delivery to meet its mandated objectives. The continued existence of thisall importance unit of the Ghana Education Service must be critically reappraised now; and given proper attention that it deserves asfar as the promotion and development of the Ghanaian culture are concerned; or else it ceases to exist to save the tax payers’ money, which can be used in other areas of socio-economic endeavours in the development agenda of the country.
In my opinion, the meagre funding that the unit had hitherto been receiving from the Ghana Education Service’s annual budget is a waste since it practically contributes nothing to promote and develop the Ghanaian culture effectively at the pre-university level of education in the country.
I have taken this critical stand due to my unpleasant experience in working in this unit, which led to my sudden resignation from the Ghana Education Service to undertake lecturing at the University of Education, Winneba, and other tertiary institutions in the country.
However, as a concerned citizen, who has the interest of the country at heart as far as the education of the Ghanaian culture is concerned for a realistic and meaningful progress and development of the country, I will like to make the following suggestions for the transformation of the culture unit of the Ghana Education Service for a better performance and positive results achievement to benefit the country in her development agenda.
In the context of the transformation of the culture unit, the first step to be taken urgently now is to upgrade the culture unit to a division status; and give it priority attention as the other divisions of the Service and furthermore, give it a face-lifting environment in terms of office equipment and facilities as pertains in the other divisions of the Service.
The next step to take is to appoint a highly competent director the person who will be appointed to head the culture unit must have deep interest in culture and also have the zeal and capacity to promote and develop the Ghanaian culture pragmatically and effectively to meet the needs of the Ghanaian youth at the pre-university level of education.
The next step to follow is to appoint subordinate staff who are all well qualified in the area of culture and have the interest , zeal and the capacity to promote and develop the Ghanaian culture among the youth at the pre-university level.
Furthermore, the Ghana Education Service must make available special incentives and motivation packages to the rank and file of the culture division in order to motivate and boost their morale to work very hard to achieve positive results.
The last step to take but not the least in the transformation exercise, is to ensure that adequate funds are always available to support various viable programmes of culture that will be initiated and undertaken by the culture division. This will surely guarantee hard work, commitment and sacrifice from the director and his staff. And this situation will greatly fuel and ginger them to work very hard to meet expectation and the set down objectives of the division.
It must be well noted that the culture of a nation is the bedrock and panacea for her economic growth, development and prosperity since time immemorial as far back as the classical era of ancient Greece up to the present era of the modern world. For instance, the U.S and China today are great powers in terms of wealth, development and prosperity as aresult of their highly developed cultures. The same reason can also be attributed to the other great and prosperous nations in our modern world today.
In concise terms, culture can be defined as the typical character, life style and behavior of a group of people in a particular geographical area on earth. In fact, everything that a group of people do for their survival and livelihood becomes their culture. Thus, for a group of people to progress and advance in knowledge, enlightment and achieve economic growth, development and prosperity, invariably depends on their culture that they have envolved and developed for themselves.
Ghana must become more serious and pay special attention to the promotion and development of her culture, so that she can experience optimum eonomic growth, development and prosperity in the shortest possible of time from now in the present 21st century.
The Ghana Education Service has been mandated to promote and develop the Ghanaian culture at the pre-university level; and this is why as an important government organization, it must be up and doing to contribute realistically and meaningfully to the development agenda of the country.
The Ghana Education Service has not been found wanting in the other areas of education delivery in the country; so it must wake up now in the area of culture education because as pointed out in the foregoing, culture is the pivot and the sine quanon for the development of countries in the past, present and in the future, for that matter.
In the implementation of the various programmes that the culture division will develop, it must ensure that it follows them up with comprehensive report in the form of analysis, evaluation and recommendations for the way forward in the future. These reports must be submitted annually to the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service for scrutiny, study and action by way of implementation.
The era in which different programmes and activities of culture such as the annual culture festivals in the various regions of Ghana were undertaken by the culture unit without supporting them with any comprehensive post mortem reports and recommendations for implementation must come to a halt immediately, so that the culture division will become more dynamic, resourceful and effective to enable it to achieve its noble mandated objective to benefit the country.
Every culture is dynamic but not stagnant; and that is why the culture division must be seen to be working very hard to the letter in order to fulfill its mandated objectives.
Again, based on my experience at the culture unit of the Ghana Education Service, I assert categorically that if the Ghana Education Service is really serious and concerned with a realistic and meaningful development of the Ghanaian culture, it must immediately turn the present unit of culture into a division status; and follow this up with the other suggestions that I have made in this article.
The Ghanaian culture is highly crucial in the developmental agenda of the country at the moment; and the Ghana Education Service must realize this stark truth, and act accordingly in the interest of Ghana. The Ghanaian culture can no longer be thrown to the dogs to jeopardise the development of the country/
In conclusion, I am optimistic; and hence forth; wish the Ghana Education Service well in its handling of the priceless and invaluable Ghanaian culture to benefit Ghana realistically and meaningful; for culture, is the sine qua non for any realistic and meaningful development anywhere in the modern world today.
Features
Emotional distortions: The hidden barriers to mental well-being
Emotional distortions are twisted or irrational thought patterns that can have a profound impact on our mental health and well-being.
These distortions can lead to negative emotions, unhealthy behaviours, and strained relationships.
In this article, we will explore the types, causes, and consequences of emotional distortions, as well as strategies for overcoming them.
Types of Emotional Distortions
1. All-or-Nothing Thinking: Seeing things in absolute terms.
2. Catastrophising: Exaggerating potential consequences.
3. Over generalisation: Making sweeping conclusions based on limited evidence.
4. Mind Reading: Assuming others’ thoughts or intentions.
5. Emotional Reasoning: Believing emotions reflect reality.
6. Should Statements: Imposing unrealistic expectations.
7. Labelling: Assigning negative labels to oneself or others.
8. Personalisation: Taking things too personally.
Causes of emotional distortions
1. Childhood experiences
2. Trauma
3. Stress
4. Social learning
5. Cultural influences
6. Genetic predisposition
Consequences of emotional distortions
1. Anxiety and depression
2. Relationship conflicts
3. Low self-esteem
4. Impaired decision-making
5. Substance abuse
6. Physical health problems
Overcoming emotional distortions
1. Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT): Identifying and challenging distortions.
2. Mindfulness: Practising self-awareness.
3. Self-Reflection: Examining thought patterns.
4. Journaling: Recording and analysing thoughts.
5. Seeking support: Consulting therapists or support groups.
Strategies for Maintaining Mental Well-being
1. Practice self-compassion.
2. Engage in physical activity.
3. Cultivate social connections.
4. Prioritise sleep and nutrition.
5. Seek professional help when needed.
Conclusion
Emotional distortions can have a profound impact on mental health, but they can be overcome. By recognising and challenging these distortions, individuals can develop healthier thought patterns, improve relationships, and enhance overall well-being.
_References_
– Beck, A. T. (1977). Cognitive Behavior Therapy.
– Burns, D. D. (1999). The Feeling Good Handbook.
– American Psychological Association. (2022). Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.
By Robert Ekow Grimmond-Thompson
Features
Where are we rushing to?
Sometimes you wonder what is going on especially the period before Christmas, in terms of the road incidents.
Yesterday, heading towards town, on my way to lay a wreath on my late wife’s grave, on the anniversary of her burial, I saw cars ahead of me suddenly indicating that they want to move into the middle lane from the inner lane.
I then saw, as I inched along, the reason for moving into the middle lane. Apparently an Uber vehicle had hit the side of a Mercedes Benz car and they were arguing and trying to sort things out.
It was apparent that the cause of the incident was due to rushing to get ahead of the Benz. A few moments of patience from both drivers could have avoided that incident.
It just does not make sense that you are in so much of a hurry that you could not let reason prevail for one of you to exercise restraint, to allow the other vehicle to pass and now both of you are wasting precious time on the road, the very thing you were trying to avoid in the first place.
There is another aspect that is related to this rushing that has to be addressed. People are no longer willing to show empathy with others, such that for a driver to pause for another driver to pass to join the traffic or to cross to the other lane is becoming non-existent these days.
We seem to be selfish in most cases which then causes drivers to rush to join the traffic after waiting and waiting without any one giving him or her the opportunity to move to join the traffic. I was tempted to be callous by ignoring vehicles that wanted to cross from my right to join the opposite traffic coming from the Ghana Law School entrance toward Tema Station, earlier this week due to the behaviour of some drivers toward me.
However, I remembered that I was a Christian and a higher standard of empathy is required of me, so I paused for them to cross from the exit point of the filling station to join the traffic going in the opposite direction.
I nearly knocked down two people earlier this week due to their lack of safety I suppose or is it a lack of focus on the streets. I think safety education needs to be intensified because of what happened on Monday.
How on earth would anyone attempt to cross a road, in front of a vehicle when a traffic light has just shown green? It really beats my imagination but that was exactly what happened and how I did not kill her, is attributable only to divine intervention.
Shortly before this incident, I had narrowly avoided hitting another person, who also crossed in front of me when I was about to join a main road with traffic coming from my left side so I was focused on my left side.
A vehicle was ahead of me and so was waiting to move as soon as it moves. The vehicle moved and just as I was about to follow, this young lady just showed up at my right fender and again I would say it was only by divine intervention that she escaped either serious injury or even death.
The level of selfish considerations in the country is becoming alarming by the day and it is something that must be addressed. The normal Ghanaian attitude of tolerance towards each other is now gradually vanishing from our society and is very worrying.
People are becoming much more inward looking and if something is not going to benefit him or her, they are just not interested. There are a few people who still do what is right and they should be commended to continue the good works.
My advice to my fellow Ghanaians is that, let us stop this rushing when we are driving especially as Christmas is approaching so we can save ourselves from avoidable incidents. God bless.
By Laud Kissi-Mensah