Dr Joel Yanney, Head of the Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine Center of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, has called for a well-structured system of interaction by stakeholders in education with strict accountability to help avoid exploitation.
This, he said, would help avoid abuse of the process of cooperation for development and to create an environment built in confidence and improve the willingness to share.
Dr Yanney stated this in a keynote address at a durbar to commemorate the centenary and Speech and Prize-Giving Day of Methodist Junior High School “A”, in Winneba.
The celebration was on theme: “100 years of Basic Education: Continuity and Change in a Digital Era.”
It was also to take stock of what had been achieved over the years, plan, take cognizance of the past and provide a forum for discussion to energize stakeholders to go into action to enable the school to regain its former glory and make it a preferred choice once more through modernisation.
Dr. Yanney, who was the guest speaker of the event, suggested that stakeholders in the education sector must contribute immensely to cash and kind to supplement what the government offers to create enabling environment to improve teaching and learning in schools.
“Surely the Winneba Methodist school has uncountable resourceful alumni who can bring palpable change and success that we so desire,” he stated.
According to him, this would mean excellent results at Basic Education Certificate Examination would require modern infrastructure, including Information Communication Technology and Science Technology Engineering Mathematics education.
“Facilities for education and training must be top notch, computer and science laboratories are required to take advantage of modern teaching methods and demonstrations, otherwise everything remains abstract,” he indicated.
According to Dr. Yanney, the school which was then called Methodist Boys Middle School, had produced several great men, including the late Vice President, Kow Nkensen Arkaah, the Most Reverend Titus Awotwi Pratt, immediate past President of the Methodist Church Ghana who chaired the event.
“The theme for the occasion is very appropriate as it seeks to galvanize all who are interested in the well-being of the school into action.”
Dr. Yarnney informed the gathering that the association if the school with Methodism depicted the indispensable role the church played in enforcing discipline and continued to play in basic and secondary education.
He, however, expressed concern that the influence of the church on its schools was waning and questioned what disciplinary mechanisms had been instituted to replace corporal punishment for instance, which had been banned in schools
Dr Yanney further stated that without discipline, success will elude us as a county, adding that such discipline was evident in the success the school chalked in producing several great and famous men who were raised under the instruction of the church.
He urged the pupils to take advantage of their rich heritage, be self-determined and work hard if they could reach their aspirations whatever they may find themselves.
“A boiling point of discipline, hard work, self-reliance, and determination, operating in a good environment afforded by our communities, families, schools and churches, is a good recipe to raise responsible future leaders, fathers, mothers who are well rounded and fit and healthy sufficiently to participate in national development and leave a legacy,” he added.
