Purchasing Past Questions for students seek to abandon their cognitive dev’t – AFfED
Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum
The Executive Director of African Foundation for Educational Development (AFfED) Mr. Ernest Kwame Adade says the decision by Government through the Ministry of Education for purchasing Past Questions for students seek to abandon their cognitive development.
According to him, spending about four percent (4%) of Ghana’s GDP on education as a country is laudable but processes surrounding the expenditure and the ability to put the resources into efficient use is what raises a lot of eyebrows.
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Mr. Ernest Kwame Adade disclosed that, in 2019 through to 2020, government procured 568,755 past questions at a unit price of GH¢59.15 at a total of GH¢33,641,043.75. This was at the time when the 2020 WASSCE candidate were 357000 in number.
An excess of 193,755 pamphlets was realized.
“It buffles me that in 2021, government has procured 446,954 past questions at a unit price of Gh¢78.00 at a total of GH¢34,862,412” He lamented.
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“Point is, the per unit price of the past questions when calculated has shot up by GH¢18.85 per pamphlet using the same source of production.”
African Foundation for Educational Development (AFfED) argues that, Ministry of Education (MoE) and the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) could have engaged other publishers other than the only one approved publisher, Kingdom Books. This would have reduced the amount invested in the procurement process.
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“Clearly, the Education Ministry has not placed priority on equipping, challenging and developing the cognitive capacity of our students in the Senior High Schools but have rather taken interest in purchasing past questions which will serve good to students in just a short while rather than equipping the teachers with the adequate resources to improve teaching and learning.”
“The Ministry has abandoned the primary schools under trees, poor and deadly School infrastructure and inadequate Teaching and Learning Material but investing about GH¢35m of the tax payers money into purchasing of past questions.”
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“In actual fact providing past questions four and three months to the final exams makes little or no contribution to developing the students.”
“We would not have to provide past questions if we pay attention to primary education and provide a conducive environment for teaching in the Senior High Schools.”
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“The general conditions for Teaching and Learning must be improved in our schools and the right facilities provided. This will contribute to developing students cognitively to meet generally approved standards.”
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For further information, kindly contact the Executive Director of African Foundation for Educational Development (AFfED) on 0241196960.
SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh
