Canadian Independent College Ghana holds graduation ceremony
Canadian Independent College (CIC), Ghana has held its 9th graduation ceremony with a call on teachers to adopt teaching methods that would make their students critical thinkers.
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Speaking at the event in Accra, the Principal of the CIC, Mrs Agnes Atokora-Gyan, said teachers ought to learn how to involve students in discussions and not just present topics and ideas to them.
“After the discussions, then as a teacher you will debrief them. By the time they realise that they have learnt something, it would have come from them, and as a teacher, you would have provoked them to think or ignite their ability to think,’’ she said.
According to her, the whole essence of education was to help people discover their abilities and how they could use such abilities to help develop themselves and society at large, adding, “Such a process begins with the ability to think critically.’’
Pre-tertiary programme
Twenty students who had completed the pre-tertiary programme at the school graduated at the event.
The school, which has both primary and secondary sections, was established in 2008.
It uses the Canadian province of Ontario curriculum and it was the first school in sub-Saharan Africa licensed and certified to use a Canadian curriculum.
Mrs Atokora-Gyan described as unfortunate and worrying the fact that many students believed that the purpose of learning was primarily for examination.
That, she said, had made students examination-centred, “a situation which had made learning by rote or what is popularly known as ‘chew and pour’ the order of the day’’.
“Apart from exam, teachers must understand that they are training people to be critical thinkers in order to solve the everyday problems confronting people and society. The exploration and explanation that students need to solve problems are unfortunately not being emphasised or taught at all in class.
“Because students are not being encouraged to do critical and analytical thinking in class, when they meet problems, they find it difficult to come up with solutions,” she said.
School’s curriculum
In view of such a gap, she said the school’s curriculum was designed to empower students to develop a strong foundation in critical, analytical and creative thinking.
For his part, the Director in charge of private pre-tertiary schools at the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mr Samuel Otopah Ntow, advised the students to be committed to their education at the tertiary level and not indulge in lifestyles that would inhibit their progress.