Tuesday, August 11, 2015

URSP Student Daniel Asiedu Researches the Failing Ghanaian High School System

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.