The President for the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu has insisted that a mere change in curriculum by the Ghana Education Service and the Education Ministry is not enough to solve the many problems of basic education in the country.

According to him, a new curriculum will fail woefully to achieve its intended purpose till the necessary infrastructure and environment is provided for basic schools.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on the Education Minister’s educational reforms which among other things seek to introduce the Cambridge system to pre-tertiary education in the country, Angel Carbonu said it was time the Ministry invested in infrastructure in basic schools.

“When you change curriculum - beautiful. When the environment and the resources are not there to serve as a conveyor belt or the vehicle to move the curriculum from a concept to reality, I doubt how the expected outcome of that curriculum can be achieved.

“I’m talking about a situation where the infrastructure in our basic schools is very questionable, the environment is inadequate, the environment does not motivate teachers and students to learn, the environment itself is offensive to the desire by the children to study,” he said.

He added that “So the curriculum, yes, you may have changed the curriculum, but if the resources are not there, to transfer the curriculum from concept into the minds and hearts of the children, in vain do you change the curriculum.

“So I’m saying that the problem of basic schools in this country is the lack of resources, it is the lack of adequate infrastructure, it’s the lack of motivation, it’s the lack of congenial atmosphere that is conducive for teaching and learning to take place.”

He further revealed that he was yet to see the Education Minister’s policy document on said reforms and neither has he been invited to sit in a consultative meeting with the Ministry.

Meanwhile, the government is set to pilot a tweaked secondary education structure that mirrors the Cambridge system from next year with 10 schools.

The Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum on JoyNews’ Upfront said the method is to improve various Junior High Schools to the standard of Senior High Schools and to ensure a seamless transition from one level to the other.