KETASCO giant in quality education delivery — Dr Dzisah

A former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), Dr Wilberforce Dzisah, has hailed the contributions of the Keta Senior High Technical School (KETASCO) to the provision of quality education in the country.

KETASCO, he said, was a giant in quality education and had a unique character by its inclusivity in embracing people from diverse backgrounds.

He said the school recognised not only education but quality education as the foundation for individual and societal growth and development. 

Nourishment

“It provides the nourishment, critical thinking skills, and creativity that has seen many of its products straddle the horizon and rub shoulders with the best.

As a school, its greatest asset has been its magnetic pull at social integration, dismantling social inequality through a more engaged and informed citizenry,” Dr Dzisah said at a Public Lecture to mark the 72nd Anniversary of KETASCO.

The lecture was on the topic: “KETASCO As An Anchor: Meeting The Challenges of History Through Artificial Intelligence and Quality Education”.

Dr Dzisah said quality education transcended academic brilliance to encompass the students’ ability to develop innate capabilities in sports and games. 

That, he said, was another important discipline in which Ketasco had excelled and that “we must pay glowing tribute to all our headmasters for their invaluable contributions in this area of excellence, which placed Ketasco on the high pedestal”.

Those leaders, he said, did not only understand the value and contribution of sports and games to quality education but to the overall development of the human potential. 

Challenges

Ghana’s educational sector, he said, had been confronted with a myriad of challenges.

“The provision of education as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution is to be free.

In this case, the implementation of the constitutional provisions cannot and should not be presented in any form or shape by any political class as doing the citizens of Ghana a favour. Article 25 of the 4th Republican Constitution states:

All persons shall have the right to equal educational opportunities and facilities and with a view to achieving the full realisation of that right,” he said, among others.

Thus, Dr Dzisah said having implemented the policy of free senior high school programme for eight years, there was every justification to take stock and see how to smoothen the rough edges.

As stakeholders, he said, there was every reason to be wary of the quality of education amid unfolding evidence of overcrowding, shortage of pieces of furniture, some students sleeping on the floor, inadequate feeding, and a reduction in student-teacher contact hours.

“Quality education demands from all stakeholders a certain level of commitment to invest in the human potential of our dear country, Ghana. It demands huge investments in infrastructure and the appropriate curricula that can address the socio-economic and political challenges confronting us as a nation,” he said.

Experience

Quality education, he said, must be seen as an inclusive, equitable and effective learning experience that could equip individuals with the knowledge, skills and values they would need to thrive in life and contribute to society.

Dr Dzisah said quality education must be seen beyond academic learning, critical thinking, creativity, emotional development and social responsibility.

In that context, Dr Dzisah said access, curriculum, teaching, learning environment and greater outcomes combined to define quality education.

He said while the country’s education had expanded access, there were lingering doubts about content, its relevance, and whether it was adaptable to students' needs in this 21st Century.

“Quality education means our educators (i.e. teachers) should be well-trained, motivated and capable of using diverse teaching methods.

Our schools as learning environments should be safe and inclusive and foster both academic and personal growth,” he said.