Radio Lectures In Ghana: An Innovation For The Twenty First Century Instructional Delivery

Vol. 3 No. 1

Year: 2007

Issue: Jun-Aug

Title: Radio Lectures In Ghana: An Innovation For The Twenty First Century Instructional Delivery 

Author Name: Adeyanju. L .J 

Synopsis: 

In the developing countries of the world, Nigeria and Ghana especially have consistently been battling with large enrollment of students into the institutions of higher learning. The attendant problem of the traditional instructional delivery system that poses a serious challenge to the 21st century educational development therefore needs innovation. Can instructional radio broadcast be of help? It is common knowledge to report that poof funding of universities of west Africa by various governments is no news anymore. However, there are other issues of acute shortage of staff, space, infrastructure, facilities and lack of quality relevant instructional materials that need urgent solution. There is overcrowding of learners in the classroom, and the alarming increase in qualified university admission seekers annually runs to a million especially in Nigeria. An added problem is that only about 10% of these candidates get placement in universities, the spillover of the admission seekers often get stranded. This is a problem that calls for innovation in instructional delivery systems in African universities if the demand for mass education would be met. Radio lecture broadcasts it is felt have potentials to ameliorate the problem of delivery because of the attributes of its immediate distance coverage, repetition and cost effectiveness. The paper is an action research report that present the breakthrough of radio lectures to a large class in the university of education in Ghana. The reaction of the community to the innovation, problems encountered, lessons learned and the prospects of radio for teaching are highlighted.