The government has hinted at plans to discourage rote learning popularly known as the “chew and pour” method of learning through the introduction of tailor-made policies and programs which will see students grasps and utilize the knowledge acquired in school.
Many educationists have in the past criticized Ghana’s education system stating that it only encouraged students to commit to memory what they have been taught, reproduce it during examinations, and forget about it later after the examination.
Speaking at the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration at the UNESCO Category two level of excellence at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adu Twum stated that the age-old system of “chew and pour” stifle creativity amongst students stressing that “recall is the lowest form of learning”.
“We want to see a situation where we are creating knowledge every day and not dispensing it to the children for them to give it back to us. In Ghana, we call it “chew – pass – poor and forget” but I call that chew-pour-fail and be forgotten. We cannot create an education system based on recall. Recall is the lowest form of learning” he stated.
The Member of Parliament for the Bosomtwe constituency added that teaching and learning must be geared towards practicality where students are encouraged to find solutions to problems to improve their learning experience.
“If you were teaching pollution and you are asking students to talk about causes of pollution, effects of pollution [that’s fine] but the highest form of learning in that lesson will be when you ask students to create a city without pollution. They come together, brainstorm ideas, and talk about solar energy and electronic cars, and others that will not pollute the environment. That is when you are really talking about transformation in your society because the children will leave your classroom and forever remember that lesson” he said
Dr. Yaw Osei Adu Twum also called for the de-politicization of the country’s education sector emphasizing that the practice eroded confidence in the system.
“…when NPP does something great, NDC will make sure it is torn apart and vice versa consequently we diffuse the confidence of Ghanaians in our system. You are doing something and everyone is second guessing as to whether it is a political gimmick or it’s truly something that can change the fortunes of the country” he lamented
source: universenewsroom
