Ghana Science Education Is Deficient – Dr. Elsie Kaufmann

An engineering lecturer at the University of Ghana  Legon Prof Elsie  Hoffman, also known as the quiz mistress, has bemoaned the training  of studends only in theoretical   knowledge  with virtually little or no practical.   The phenomenon, if not checked, will affect the country’s  development because  the Ghanaian student can compare himself and compete with their counterparts any where  and even win but falls short when it comes to applying or practicslizing what has been learnt. The quiz mistress said this on the KSM Show. She was on the panel with another  woman academic who concurred that unless something fundamental was done to improve the practical knowledge of these students very soon they will realize that what they are learning is irrelevant. Prof. Haufmann said recently a team of Ghanain students who were winners on her show came first a t an international science contest in Portugal but when it came to the applied segment they were  virtually at sixes and nines. They could not  apply what they had learnt. Hear the Prof. “I teach engineering students. Scientists are innovators. They do wonderful things to see us develop. We have too many inputs. Our students are  the best and the brightest so what is wrong? She asked.  What was do regrettable after the Ghanaian students had done well, she said they could not translate what they had said by rote, into useful outcomes. ” They could not do the competition anymore because of the  applied phase.