Education Service

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Background of the study

In modern times, government affects the life of every citizen of a state in diverse ways. Citizens therefore need the type of education that will let them have knowledge in the nature of government and politics in general, as well as understand the dynamics of politics, the structure of the state and its processes and the relationship between the ruler and the ruled.

It is therefore not surprising that government has become a subject studied in many schools and educational institutions around the world.

It is in connection with this that the Ghana Education Service (GES) also added government to subjects in the Senior High School curriculum.

S.D.A. Senior High School (SDASS) in Bekwai-Ashanti is no exception as government is studied as part of the General Arts Programme.

After going through a couple of lessons at the school, one of the problems identified was students’ difficulty in learning government.

Even though there is no shortcut method of leaning a subject, it is obvious that one can learn a subject well if he/she knows the nature, scope and the objectives of that subject.

Unfortunately for the subject, many teachers at the Senior High School (SHS) think that they could teach it. As a result of this the subject has been handled by many unqualified teachers.

1.1 Statement of the problem

Since the introduction of government into the curriculum of Senior High Schools, it has passed through a lot misunderstanding and misinterpretation with regard to its definition, nature and scope.

As some define government as a set of institutions authorized to manage the affairs of a state, others see it as the process or the art of governing.

Another school of thought also defines it as an academic discipline or field of study that involves the comparative analyses of different political systems and institutions.

As a result of this most teachers teach the subject as how they understand it and also...