‘You can’t memorize your way out of poverty’ – Hon. Adutwum
The concept that mere theory does not do enough in education appears to have been agreed on by experts worldwide.
But the implementation in many classrooms in Africa is yet to see a conscious evolution to practicalise lessons for children of school-going age.
This was the angle Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum was coming from when he addressed delegates at the ongoing United Nations General Assembly on.
He questioned the rationale behind regurgitating numbers and letters just for the purpose of reproducing same in the examination hall without any idea of its impact on the real world.
Justifying his frustration, the Education Minister recounted multiple occasions where he engaged Ghanaian pupils and did not get a single question or reaction when he asked.
This, he says, is a result of the institutionalized manner of teachers where the child is prevented from demanding clarity on issues regarding their studies.
The Bosomtwe lawmaker emphasized that, he speaks with the students and when he finish, he ask them ‘do you have any questions for me?’, no hand goes up stressing that, “We have tamed the children. We just want them to write down what we tell them and on the day of exams, they should put down what we have told them [then you’re the best student the country has ever known”.
He insists this trend is disturbing and retrogressive, particularly in an era of fast-evolving technologies and STEM education.
