By Emelia B. Addae
Koforidua, Sept. 17, GNA – As the new academic year begins, parents have been urged to support their children’s education needs by providing essential learning materials, including exercise books, while teachers justify the quantities prescribed.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mrs Patricia Birago Gyamfi, an educationist, noted that although the government had taken responsibility for major aspects of education, parents also had a role to play in providing materials needed to facilitate effective teaching and learning.
Mrs Gyamfi made the call following concerns raised by some parents over the large number of exercise books and stationery required for their children for the first term.
She explained that exercise books were essential to the teaching and learning process because they enabled school children to record lessons, complete exercises and review their work.
“Apart from notetaking, teachers must also assess students based on what they have taught. These assessments are conducted using the exercise books,” she said.
Mrs Gyamfi further explained that students were expected to have separate exercise books for different subjects to enable teachers to assess their work effectively.
However, she urged teachers to communicate clearly with parents on the basis for the number of books required, particularly where large quantities were prescribed.
She noted that such communication would help parents understand the academic needs of their children and address concerns about over-prescription.
A headmistress who spoke on condition of anonymity, called on teachers who required parents to purchase another set of books instead of carrying forward unused exercise books to desist from the practice.
She said some parents had complained that books left unused at school were usually kept in cupboards, while new quantities were prescribed at the beginning of the next term.
GNA
Editing by D.I. Laary
Reporting by Emelia B. Addae
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