IS THERE DIVERSIFICATION AND DIFFERENTIATION IN GHANA’S EDUCATION??

Any discussion of diversity in higher and Tertiary Education would be incomplete without connecting the conversations to broader aims of the institutions. Universities are founded to pursue knowledge, provide knowledge to a select and willing populace (Students) within its community. In Ghana greater demands for and application of knowledge is touted to be the driving force for the expansion in the education sector.  Thus there is the need for more inclusive learning enrolment, where scholars and students develop and share their intellectual resources in more efficient and timely ways. Allen et al (2006) suggests that to attain diversity, educators need to assess continually the current landscape –success and challenges – as well as future possibilities for an educational institution. The caution here is that in order to forge a more effective tertiary institution, there is a need to model them on an inclusive learning community where policy settings that results in only short-term outcomes decoupled from holistic, long-term transformations are avoided.

The Stony Brook University emphatically point out that, in the development of programs, it would behove on the educator to first, develop an understanding of how different disciplines define, acquire, and organize knowledge; second, to enhance understanding of Ghanaian and non-Ghanaian cultures as well as their reciprocal influence on each other; third, to provide a basis for an examination of values; fourth, to develop analytic, synthetic, linguistic, computational, communication, and information-gathering skills useful for lifelong learning; and, finally, to provide a common foundation for wide-ranging dialogue with peers on issues of significance. Such considerations will encourage students to develop a critical and inquiring attitude, an appreciation of complexity and ambiguity, a tolerance for and empathy with persons and groups of different backgrounds or values, and a deepened sense of self. In short, the goal of the diversity in education is to prepare students to appreciate and be able to function effectively in an increasingly complex world.

Differentiated instruction is the backbone of good teaching. Although every child can benefit from this type of instruction, it is vital for students with learning disabilities. Differentiation can be done in both inclusive regular classrooms, collaborative classrooms, and special education classrooms. Appropriate instruction can ensure that a child is educated in the least restrictive environment necessary to implement her individual education program. Learn more about differentiated instruction.( Logsdon, 2008)

Differentiation happens in a heterogeneous classroom. In such a classroom, students are arranged according to the ability-appropriate assignments they receive at the end of the lesson. Theoretically, students even have some choice in the assignments they complete; they might select the assignment that appeals to their learning strengths and interests. In this best-of-all-worlds "differentiated" scenario, lower-ability students stand to benefit from learning sparks thrown off by higher-level students.(Fischer, 2004)

Having presented the reader with the above explanations on Diversification and Differentiation, I wonder if he/she can assertively identify any of its components in any of Ghana’s Educational Institutions.