Promotion of Visual Arts Programme in the Senior Secondary Schools: a case study of Kumasi Metropolis

The Government of Ghana has recognized the Visual Arts as one of the important school subjects and listed it under Vocational Education in the Senior Secondary Schools under the current Educational Reform. The Visual Arts Programme has been so designed to help students acquire competence and skills in Art as a vocation for the individual and national development. However, recent survey has shown that despite the laudable policy of the Government to make the Visual Arts Programme in the Senior Secondary Schools an important area of study because of its import, the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service have not been providing the needed budgetary allocation and teaching materials for the effective running of the Programme. Also it has been alleged that the Visual Arts Programme has not been given the needed support and attention like Mathematics, Science and Home Economics by some Headmasters / Headmistresses who are the school administrators and are therefore responsible for the organization and administration of the school curricula. These allegations are pointing to a gloomy future for the Visual Arts. Therefore, the researcher has tried to investigate the major factors that have contributed positively or negatively towards the promotion of the Visual Arts programme in the selected Senior Secondary Schools in Kumasi metropolis. The researcher has used the descriptive and analytical research methods for this thesis. The major research instruments used to collect the necessary data were Questionnaires, Interviews and Classroom Observations. As a case study, ten Senior Secondary Schools (S.S.S.,) within the Kumasi metropolis, which offer Visual Arts, were selected for the study. Valid and reliable data collected have been assembled, analyzed and discussed thoroughly. The major findings of the study include the following: 1) The Visual Arts programme is popular among students in the selected Senior Secondary Schools in Kumasi. 2) The “Old Schools” namely Prempeh College, St Louis Secondary, Technology Secondary and Kumasi High School have employed qualified graduate art teachers who were effectively handling the courses in the Visual Arts. In such schools good results were achieved in the Visual Arts Subjects in the Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (S.S.S.C.E.) from 1996 to 1999. 3) Lack of funds from the M.O.E., and G.E.S., to support the programme in the selected Senior Secondary Schools has adverse effect on the promotion of the Visual Arts programme. 4) Inadequate facilities, equipment, materials, tools and textbooks were the other major problems identified in the selected Senior Secondary Schools. 5) There was inadequate number of periods for the Arts subjects, which badly affected students’ chances of gaining competencies and adequate skills in art for the various vocations. Some of the suggestions and recommendations made were: 1) The stakeholders in education must develop strong and positive attitudes and ideas for the Visual Arts programme and give it the needed support as they give to the other subject areas such as Science and Home Economics. 2) Headmasters and Headmistresses must make adequate budgetary allocations for the Visual Arts programme so that the necessary resource materials and facilities must be provided. 3) There is the need for the M.O.E. and G.E.S. to train more professional personnel for the Visual Arts programme in the Senior Secondary Schools. 4) The G.E.S. must provide sufficient funds and supply certain basic equipment, tools and materials for the Visual Arts programme in the Senior Secondary Schools 5) Besides the General Knowledge in Art the G.E.S. must provide the adequate textbooks for the various Visual Arts subjects to enhance effective teaching and learning. 6) The suggestions and recommendations made would go a long way to improve upon the Visual Arts Programme in the Senior Secondary Schools and contribute to the socio-economic development of the country.

Source: KNUST