THE FLAWED STATE OF A STATE PART TWO

The acid test that separates the wheat from the chaff between Junior Secondary School and Senior Secondary is the Basic Education Certificate Examination, B.E.C.E. to my Ghanaians. In recent years students took a maximum of ten subjects graded 1 to 6 or in a more universal term grade A through F. This is where after enlisting your three choice of secondary schools you want to attend, you proof your worth against other candidates. Subjects ranged from Science to Mathematics all through to the hands on ones like Social Studies, Technical and Vocational Skills. Agricultural Studies and a local language of choice which depended on your geography or schools resource.

The elite secondary schools battle it out to get the best of each year to strengthen their position as front runner institutes. So one needs not to mention the shear worry it generates for both student and parent. Out of the ten subjects, unless we dealing with exceptional candidates, kids are bound to prioritise. Science, Mathematics and English spring to mind. This logic is not flawed as the secondary institutions go by the same reasoning in picking and choosing prospective students. In my own instance I got nine As and a lonely B grade. The B grade was earned in Vocational Skills doing Calabash Art. To the Ghanaian, this is a familiar word. To others a Google search or a Webster dictionary will be handy now. That industry is doing fine without me thank you very much! As a matter of fact, no one in my school scored an A grade that year in this subject. My remorse for not having a perfect score was comforted by people telling me the subject is not that important in my school's selection.....they were as right as Republicans.

Now here lies the misguidance. The crippling factor. The flaw. Students are allocated to subjects and fields in an almost hierarchical manner by academic aptitude. So your very well endowed ones are encouraged to do Sciences and Business while the ones down the ladder move into the Social Sciences and Vocational departments. I respect Science and Business a lot. But I do not show some disregard towards the Arts and Vocational subjects like the system does. I paraded as a Science student throughout my education in Ghana because I had the marks to show for it. I now find myself in Business and a few people like me have threaded other paths since then. The oversight there was the failure to realise that more than 60% of the B.E.C.E. subjects relied heavily on a students language and communication skills. My English results were second to none and I had the gift of the gap...or I just loved talking. Either way I was a good speaker. What the system failed to realise was that some students were high achievers because they were good with language and communication and not just number crunching and memorising facts on end. I would do a disservice to my self If I said I was bad at Science and Mathematics either. I rubbed noses with the best. The point here is the system is a 'labeller' rather than a 'discoverer'.

In the end the Sciences get the cream of the crop and the other areas are more likely filled out by disappointed Science and Business aspirants. A few elite students, and I mean a few, do make a conscious decisions to go into these departments. What is my point you ask? Governments are run on Social Science and Language subjects mainly. Science and Mathematics are there to drive policies. Business to see to the driving. Why are we neglecting the very subjects that empower our future leaders to be inferior? Philosophy, Religion, Sociology, Law etc do form a bigger influence on political ideologies and politics as a whole. We need men who are soaked in these fields of reason and questioning. The ones that ask WHY not just HOW. The West is a good example. In the Elizabethan era of English rule and even now, young royals were schooled in the Arts first. Languages, Poetry, Philosophy and the likes....the build of leaders. If you are in the business of ruling people, you must pay attention to subjects of the people. I will gladly be ruled by a poet than a soldier. They both can bring change but one may shed blood. In the West people aspire to be politicians, in Africa people desire to be politicians!!!

Back to boarding school. Keep up with me I am getting to the punch line. The boys that are drafted into the cadet corp are usually the toughened no nonsense type and often of the macho make. I was never seen at a cadet try-outs. In fact, It never crossed my mind. If rounds of unanswered slaps proved that I was a man, put a ribbon on me and call me a chihuahua.....I am a pretty bitch! So these guys, our men of war, had little to nothing regard for student authority. The school prefects were usually smart responsible students. So those that aspired to the cadet corp too were not the usual students trying to get prefect badges. From there, there was an informal power share. The prefects stayed clear of the cadets and the cadets accorded the prefects enough room to exert their influence elsewhere. These same students will one way or another find themselves in our Armies, Air Forces and the Navy. They view leaders with the corner of their eyes. Politicians are given enough room to operate until they think it is not enough. From the beginning their mentality is flawed. Our Armies are not loyal to Presidents and ruling Governments rather to Generals and Commanders. So the Army can overthrown Governments when they see fit...........even a mutiny will be unheard of in either the British or United States Armies.

In conclusion? I say education must be tailored towards the peoples needs. I will borrow from a saying that goes ' Education does not mean teaching people to know what they do not know; it means teaching them to behave as they do not behave'. We can cry over the dire state of our leadership centuries on end but If we fail to equip people and empower them to be good leaders, it will continue. Lets keep making scientists and mathematicians. But let us know these people will not be filling our parliaments any soon. Mutual regard for all education. Empower the journalist to be the social moralist. The 'whistle-blower' stigma embedded in our culture too needs to stop. Africa cannot remain rich while individuals are poor. Africa needs change and it will take lawyers, writers, scientist and all. Long live Africa!