Ghanaian teacher unions have expressed anger at the writing of examination questions for school children on blackboards.
Teachers in the West African country are conducting end of terminal exams for their pupils this month.
But after government stopped basic schools from charging fees for the printing of exams questions teachers for days now have resorted to writing exam questions on blackboards.
The teachers spend hours writing questions on blackboards with chalks for their pupils to reproduce and answer.
It is even becoming tedious for those of them who have to draw scientific diagrams or produce mathematical equations.
Some of the affected teachers who had to write as many as forty objective questions on the blackboards have complained bitterly about the situation.
One teacher told Africa Feeds “This is very bad. You waste all the time writing questions. It is so hectic.”
In 2012 the government had announced plans to phase out the use of blackboards in schools.
Government officials then said blackboards were being replaced with projectors and computers to enable Ghana catch up with the technological world. But that promise has not been fulfilled.
Unions raise concerns
Teacher unions are fuming over the current situation which they describe as embarrassing.
The country’s National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has told Africa Feeds that the writing of exam questions on blackboards was disturbing.
NAGRAT President, Angel Carbonu said this will have dire consequences.
“If the schools were taking exams fees to aid in the printing of papers, there is a deficit and the teacher ought to teach,” Carbonu said.
He adds that “teacher goes into what was practiced in the past by writing on the board which has very damaging consequences on teaching and learning.
So once the examination fee that was used in printing the papers have been taken away, the teacher doesn’t have any choice than to go and write on the board. Very negative consequences but what choice do we have.”
But the government has described the actions of the teachers as dramatic.
A spokesperson for the education ministry Vincent Assafuah told local media Starr FM that “Why the dramatization? Is it because teachers were getting some money from what was being paid earlier and now they don’t get? So they are angry?
Writing on the board is not a new phenomenon, how did they write their class test. If that is the only way the poor can get education then so be it.”
Reactions
There have been reactions from Ghanaians on social media.
Source: Africafeeds.com
