So I have officially entered the academia world at the University of Ghana. And lets just say I have a lot of different opinions about it. First, I like that the classes are small (literally 3 students are in my Botany course). I am able to have direct contact with the professor and I am also able to create a stronger relationship with my classmates. However, my teachers are always asking me if I am "okay" or whether I agree with the legitimacy of their lecture (or asking me if I am tired when they see my eye-lids flicking a million times/second to stay awake). I mean it's nice to feel knowledgeable about specific topics, but some teachers key me out in front of the class to see if they are correct (as if I didn't stand out enough being the only bright, WHITE, object in class).
This brings me to my second point: the education system here is at a complete disadvantage. They teach theory to the students and rarely relate the subject matter to the work field. Applied learning is unheard of. I just came from a "practical" where we looked at seeds and wrote the scientific names down, then listened to a lecture; now I am suppose to be writing a report on it... How can I write about methods and results when there was nothing practiced? My roommate told me that most of the students write down the information (that teachers LITERALLY read from a book directly in front of you) without clearly understanding any of it, just so they can get a decent grade in the class.
Grades are more important than experiences. It's rare to find students involved in internships, research projects or even jobs (most students have never had a job and they are in their mid-twenties). This is exactly why the workforce here is extremely weak. When students graduate they have no experience applying their college education towards a designated job (a lot of the students I've met can't really step out of the box). Companies then loose time and income by teaching them the applications of the knowledge they just learned.
Many of my peers tell me that they'd like to go to grad school in Canada, Europe or the United States. That way they can obtain an education that practices what they teach. Research is non-existent here (or so I've stated) and basic education is less funded than the universities. Apparently, the government subsidizes college education costs so every student only pays 300 cedis a year. Whereas the junior and senior high schools receive no funding, therefore, children from poverty stricken homes (almost 75% of the country) cannot afford an education after primary school. I'm not aware of the costs of of the high schools, but I'm I assume it's a lot since most of them are boarding schools.
What makes matters worst is the fact that most people that can afford boarding school can also afford to pay up to 5000 cedis per year for the university. The rich here are EXTREMELY rich. Girls walk around with pure gold jewelry, name brand clothes and accessories or they'll even be spotted driving Audis talking on one of their THREE cell phones. The top 10% of Ghana's wealth can probably pay for an educational system for the whole country, too bad that will never happen.
With the coming and going of new political parties every two years, nothing ever stays constant (especially not the education). Funny thing is, the structure and funding of the education changes, yet the actual curriculum is circa 1970s. And I thought America's educational system was messed up.
