Is “One-Teacher-To-All-Subjects” Enough? Ghana’s Public Primary School System on a Slippery Slope

Abstract

Primary school teachers in Ghana are made to teach based on the ‘generalist’ philosophy while their colleagues in the high schools run the ‘specialist’ viewpoint. Although, arguments made in support of this perspective may point at the universal training offered to these teachers, little is known about its effectiveness and challenges. Results from thematic analysis showed that both primary school teachers and pupils were generally not comfortable with generalist philosophy. These findings suggest that policies focused on teacher placements in primary schools must start looking at a possible adoption of subject-specific teaching, at least in the upper primary (4-6) levels.

Keywords

• Teacher-Based Teaching
• Subject-Based Teaching
• Public Primary School
• Pedagogy
• Generalist
• Specialist
• Ghana