This week, my guest columnist is Kweku Asante, a teacher.
He reflects on the dearth of a reading culture in our country and negative stereotypes around the humanities, and then wonders about the direction of changes to our basic education curriculum.
Saturday morning adventures
I will always be thankful to my father for helping me develop the habit of reading very early.
Saturday mornings were spent quickly completing chores, after which he would walk me from Adum to the Ashanti Library at the Centre for National Culture, Bantama, Kumasi.
Definitely, we would meet other parents there with their children; some would drop their children and leave to return for them later.
My father would stay.
I would be in the children’s library, while he would head to the adults’ library.
After two hours, he would poke his head into the children’s library and signal to me that it was time to leave.
Then, I would pick two books to borrow for a week.
Voraciously, I would devour the books as soon as I got home.
Knowing that it would be a week before I could get new books, I developed the habit of rationing my reading.
I would break at certain times and daydream, influenced by the story I was then reading or those previously read.
I would imagine things aplenty, travels, imagined events, and the like.
Sometimes it required me to go out for a walk to allow my child’s mind to race.
A deadwood trunk lying by the rail track would normally be my perch on which to mull about life as I was discovering it in books.
By that, I went on many imaginary journeys around the world, immersed myself in societies of many generations before me, as well as assumptions of myself in the future as an adult.
I remember that these habits made me perceptive and curious.
I always knew that books held secrets to happiness, and I always sought to discover them.
I acquired books, not for show, but as beloved companions.
Reading was the tonic of my life.
Out of anything, I learnt something.
Anytime I found out that a particular book was deemed to be an excellent choice that I had not come across, I would try everything to find it and read it.
Alas, insufficient investment in our libraries resulted in a dearth in provision of books.
Soon, they no longer were exciting places, as all you found were the old books you had encountered previously.
That is not to say that I read every book available, but every reader will attest to the fact that some blurbs attract while others will be passed over.
Humanities, negative stereotypes
It did seem that this love to read was noticed by my teachers in secondary school.
So, when a doting father hoped that this son of his would channel his curiosity into the sciences, he was disappointed when my school ushered me into the humanities.
Generally, that fold was seen by some as for the lazy and incapable.
The serious were in the science and commerce classes.
This perception appears to have persisted to this day.
How wrong and disappointing.
No part of knowledge should be considered useless.
Science and humanities complement each other.
An effective interplay assures effective thought.
It is sad to observe that, as a result of the mistaken perception persisting about the humanities, it is assumed that a focus on that creates an unemployable graduate.
Yet, several of the ‘serious’ equally end up without employment.
What then could be the problem?
Not that the humanities are useless, but rather, education is not developing thinking.
Curiosity is not being piqued well enough.
Rote is praised, and when that occurs, thinking suffers. Rote develops idiots. Curiosity allows creativity.
Creativity promotes innovation. Innovation develops progress.
Questions on basic education curriculum
There is talk, once again, of changes to be made in the basic education curriculum.
Chinese and Arabic are to come in.
I have only one question to ask – would that promote curiosity, creativity, and thinking?
If you are presently in the procreating generation, please ask yourself this question – what kind of person would I want my child to grow into?
Then ask whether there is a path available in the established system to get you that person you hope for.
I leave you to search for answers.
Rodney Nkrumah-Boateng.
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