Restructuring the school curriculum (II) ... Suggested solutions to the problems
By Mrs J. Maud Kordylas, Cameroon
A previous article attempted to give a broad view of the efforts made by Ghana to achieve technological development in the food sector. The failure of the efforts to yield the desired effects was discussed and a suggestion was put forward that our cultural heritage and traditional techniques and technologies be used as a foundation upon which to base our technological development in the food sector. For ease of reference, the suggestion is here termed "A Technological Development With A National Identity." To achieve such a development, it was strongly suggested that as a start, the curriculum of our educational system be restructured in order to make it possible for children to acquire necessary skills which will enable us to lay the right technological foundation for advancement. This article, which concludes the two-part discussion seeks to look at the reasoning behind the suggestion, the type of restructuring needed, and the gains that may accrue to the nation from the restructuring.Restructuring of our primary and middle school curriculum needs to be undertaken. Apart from the children needing to learn to read, write and to count, they need to acquire certain simple, practical and basic skills, which will enable them to employ themselves. They need to acquire the type of skills that will enable them to be creative and to know how to learn something by themselves in order to be able to contribute to the developmental efforts of the nation.
To begin with, emphasis may be laid on the development of the food sector as a trial theme, since nothing can change all at once or begin to function smoothly without years of mistakes and experimentation. Practical Agricultural and Food Technology courses may be initiated within the school curriculum. These may be based on our own traditional techniques and simple technologies, which both teachers and pupils may be familiar with, and may be simple enough to be easily mastered by the children.
Limitations of financial resources, absence of laboratories and lack of basic laboratory equipment at our schools make it imperative that the techniques and technologies studied must be those that are low cost and can be locally obtained or locally fabricated.
Agricultural Courses
For example, Agricultural courses taught which may be simple and practical may include:- (a) Techniques and materials such as used in making compost or organic fertilizer including kitchen wastes, factory wastes, farm wastes, weeds, grass chippings, hay, animal manure etc. The use of nitrogen fixing legumes to enrich the soil.(b) Extraction of plant materials such as tomato leaf extract and use of low cost household material such as soap solution etc against plant pests.
(c) How to recognise nutrient deficiency in plants through observing leaf colour changes, and what to do about them. The type of locally available additives to enrich the soil such as phosphate rock powder, dolomite powder, blood meal, compost, wood ash etc, and to remedy the nutrient deficiency problems.
(d) How to mulch or cover the (e) Traditional and post-harvest ground between plants with compost methods of processing. and other plant material as a means of controlling weeds and keeping moisture from evaporating from the soil too quickly.
(e) How to make gabion or wire mesh boxes filled with heavy rocks to dam slow flowing streams for irrigation.
These and many more of such simple, low cost practical materials may be included in the Agricultural course. Such a task becomes less difficult because most of such information is available and may be readily put together in school books or manuals for the use of our schools.
It is hoped that within the foreseeable future, the institution of a restructured curriculum in the school system, an active participation approach to education and teaching of citizenship, definite socio-economic gains would be brought about to the nation
Food Technology Courses
Sample courses in food technology may include:-(a) Identification and familiarisation with tropical crops and their uses.
(b) Proper harvesting techniques for these crops.
(c) Post-harvest handling of the crops to prevent bruising, spoilage and wastage.
(d) Traditional and simple improved methods of storage of these crops.
(f) Simple methods of processing such crops into both domestic and commercial products such as cereals into meals, flour, malt and beverages. The examples given are just ideas to illustrate the type of simple and practical course materials being suggested. It is hoped that the ideas are clear enough to stimulate the educational experts to know exactly what to put through their exercises for adoption into the school curriculum if and when they think a restructuring is needed. Supplant Passive Teaching Methods With Positive Participation and Methods Teaching methods employed in our schools are passive and obsolete. Children are made to absorb facts and figures without active participation in the acquisition of what they learn. Children must have positive participation in their own education, if they are to acquire the type of skills that will enable them to fulfil their personal needs and to contribute to the society as a whole.
The child who is made to undertake a project; collect materials to make compost, apply the compost to an assigned plot, plant, observe, record, solve problems arising or seek advice to solve problems, write or give an oral report on what done and is assessed on work produced and skills acquired, will be a more productive and useful citizen to his community and his country at large, even if he does not acquire a certificate at the end of his schooling.
The child who is made to memorise facts and figures given by teachers, and is made to reproduce the same in a test may go on to acquire a certificate. The certificate may lead him to a position in the society, but he will certainly not be as productive, and as useful to the society as the first child, since he may not have skills through which to contribute anything much to society or to fulfil his own needs.
The fundamental goals of public education should be to develop informed, thoughtful and sensitive citizens. In order to achieve such goals, it is important that certain desirable, positive attitudes and values are inculcated into the children right from the start. Attitudes such as pride in work, discipline, self development, healthy attitude towards manual labour, cleanliness, honesty, etc are needed to be acquired by the children.
These positive attitudes are to be woven into the fabrics of the courses taught; as for example - a child who uses tools is to be taught to take care of the tools, clean and properly pack them in a proper order. His surroundings must be kept clean and is taught how to be observant and how to keep proper records.
For what he achieves, he is to be properly rewarded, and encouraged with sympathy and understanding when he fails. It is far better for us to help children learn "Peace With Discipline PWD" while still young rather than wait to spend public funds to wage "War Against Indiscipline - WAI" after they become adults in the society. Citizenship can be learnt and conscious efforts must be made to teach it within the school system.
Expected Gains From The Restructuring Gains to the Food Sector
Although there is no guarantee that all children who acquire skills under the restructured curriculum will use these skills for agricultural production and processing of the produce, it is hoped that some of them will certainly go into the food sector. It is clear that the present economic situation in Ghana, with its high cost of living, if nothing else, will compel the use of the skills acquired even if not for employment, for the fulfilment of personal needs.Those who employ their skills for their personal use will somehow contribute indirectly to the food sector. On the other hand, those who go into agricultural production as an employment will make direct contribution in several ways:-
1. They will contribute to the dissemination of low cost, regenerative agricultural methods. The methods employed may be disseminated to others in the rural areas and elsewhere with little or no risk to the farmers who adopt them and at low cost of dissemination to the government.
The children may thus play the role of extension officers in a more realistic way thus, helping the nation improve its basic food production sector - the small scale farmer. Multiplication of improved smallness becomes massive growth, and massive growth stands for strength.
2. Savings on foreign exchange:-
Since the major part of our food production is in the hands of the small farmer, the use of plant and anima wastes, factory and household waste etc in the preparation of organic fertiliser; the use of plant extracts a pest control; use of mulching for weed control, and so on, will help cut down on the importation and use of chemical fertiliser, insecticide and chemical weed killers.
There will be a saving in foreign exchange to the nation and our environment and soil will be saved from the adverse effects which come from the use of such chemicals. Employment of wastes in the production of compost will also contribute to desirable sanitation effects on the environment.
3. Post-harvest food losses will be minimised:- Use of skills acquired in food technology will help cut down or food losses as they are applied to harvesting, handling, storage and preservation and to the proper processing of agricultural produce.
It is hoped that this will stimulate the growth of appropriate food processing and manufacturing methods in the sector, which will make it possible for the nation to cut down on importation of processed food. Foreign exchange will again be conserved in this area.
4. Appropriate technology informa tion will be more beneficial:- Hitherto, appropriate technology information has been slow to be adopted, because most of the pre- requisite basic skills needed for ease of realisation have been lacking. With exposure of the children to the means of acquiring skills and the acquisition of some basic skills, appropriate technology information made available to them may now be more useful and of immediate benefit to those who would need them and can acquire them.
Socio-Economic Gains
1. Self-employment:- It is hoped that within the foreseeable future, the institution of a restructured curriculum in the school system, an active participation approach to education, and teaching of citizenship, definite socio-economic gains would be brought about to the nation.The children who come out of the system would be expected to have a more positive attitude towards work in general, and in particular to manual labour; would be more disciplined, more prepared to handle problems they come across; be more prepared to develop themselves and above all be useful citizens. Armed with these positive attitudes, values and some basic skills, they may all benefit and be more prepared to be self-employed in the productive agricultural and food processing sector. By being self- employed, it is hoped that this will help curb the drift to the larger towns and cities, and cut out its concomitant two- edged problems.
2. Savings for development:- Foreign exchange savings made by cutting down on importation of agricultural inputs and food imports, may be used to bring in needed machinery for the fabrication of gadgets, tools and equipment, to help support the school system, and to improve the food sector, by providing transportation, communication, marketing and distribution services for the sector. This will help further regeneration and improvement of the food sector.
3. Stimulation of others to participate Many professionals, scientists and public servants feel wasted and unfulfilled, because efforts and contributions made by them are as diffused and dissipated, without being obvious to how they are contributing to the cause of development. It is hoped that with the clear sense of direction being suggested, various interest groups within the society: scientists, writers, teachers, lecturers, investors, businessmen, civil servants, market women, youth groups etc will feel inclined and stimulated to contribute more freely to the developmental efforts.
Acquired knowledge and further knowledge to be acquired will have to be directed inwards, because it is only through that. that we can generate the type of information, tools and techniques that we need to achieve the type of development we need to have - a development with a national identity.
With positive stimulation of these groups, there will indeed be progress. For as a people, we are the only ones who are familiar with the elements of our cultural heritage, and therefore, who the only ones can militate, generate or initiate developmental efforts based on our heritage
Acquired knowledge and further knowledge to be acquired will have to be directed inwards, because it is only through that that we can generate the type of information, tools and techniques that we need to achieve the type of development we need to have a development with a national identity.
To conclude, it has been shown that, it is when a little investment made in national reconstruction, yields such maximum benefits that we can truly say that we are on the right path of development.
