All change is not growth, as all movement is not forward.
Ellen Glasgow.
Change is eminent but that change must be seen to have a positive impact on the society.
Somewhere in February 2011, the Registrar of the nation's premier university Mr. Joseph Marfo granted an interview to Citi Fm where he said that starting from the following academic year, the university will only award grade A to students who score 80% and above.
This is unlike previously when one needed to make a minimum mark of 70% and above to get A+ and 65-69 to get an A-. In the new grading system, one needs to get 75-79 to get B+ and 70-74 to get a B. One also needs to get 65-69 to get C+ which mark would have fetched one A- in the old grading system.
Level 100 used to be non-scoring but it has also been wiped out. As if that was not enough, the classification of degrees is also reviewed upwards. Previously, one needs to get a Final Grade Point of 3.6 to make a 1st class but it is also raised to 3.75.
Instead of the university authorities finding solutions to enormous problems that students face on campus, this is what they think students are in a dying need of. Those on the Distance Education Programme have to wait half way into the semester to get their books: sometimes almost at the tail end of the semester. What do you expect students like these to do with almost 300 pages (six units; thirty six sections) book within two months?
I must also say that, this grading system to a large extent defeats some aspects of University Education vis-a-vis socialization and other extra curriculum activities.
Most of us concur with Mr. Daniel Kumi-Gyan the Registrar of KNUST when he said in an interview with focus News that changing the grading system is not necessarily the best way to make students more productive.
One would see the difference when one compares the transcript of those in L300-400 and those who have already completed with those who are currently in L200 and 300.
If this inhumane policy is not checked immediately, it would become a major contributor to unemployment. The labour market is very competitive and one wonders what the university authorities wish to achieve by placing two groups with the same certificate base on different grading systems in one market.
I would like to plead with the Vice Chancellor and the Academic Board to take a second look at these changes. I would also like to plead with the Ministry of Education to also as a matter of urgency take a look at this changes which sought to make students "anti-sos" in order to secure the future of the students and the nation.
The writer is a student
