Daniel Asiedu
graduates this August with a Bachelor’s in Information Systems and Operations
Management. He also holds an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration.
This summer, he followed his passion and quest to find innovative ways to
improve the quality of high school education in Ghana. His research project
centered on the causes of the increasingly failing rates in the Ghanaian High
School System. He also participated in the Koch Internship Program, where he
interned at the Institute of Humane Studies. There, he explored how liberty,
free market economics, market based management, and quality education advances
personal wellbeing and free society.
Three hundred
randomly selected people across eleven major cities in Ghana participated in
the study. They were asked ten basic questions that evaluated the quality of
high school education. They commented on prices charged for tuition and
boarding, indicated three most pressing issues faced, and also compare
performances of students in public and private school, etc. Overall, 88.4% of participants felt the
current public boarding high school system needed remodeling, and 86.7% were
dissatisfied with the quality of education students received. Interestingly, a
trend emerged among participants. Those living in urban areas, with higher cost
of living than the national average, felt that prices charged for boarding
schools were higher as compared to participants in other areas.
This summer has
been the highlight of Daniel’s academic life. Having the opportunity to participate
in the OSCAR program, first as a research assistant, and then working on this
summer project has been a rewarding experience for him. It is his ambition to
develop a new high school model that utilizes innovative teaching and learning
practices, restructures the current system and retools students with the right
skills and knowledge to succeed. This new model will mitigate majority of the
problems identified in this study. Daniel is currently working on a publication
of the research results and also on a business plan for his new high school
model.
