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The secondary-education system in Ghana was reorganised in the early 1980s. The present study addresses one part of this reform: the attempt to introduce a more vocationally oriented curriculum in junior secondary schools. The findings on which this study is based are drawn from interviews at several levels as well as from documentary analysis and case studies. It is shown how planned changes were not clearly conceptualised and how a serious lack of communication has continued to exist between the various elements of the education system. Classroom observation also reveals that the ideas originally laid out in the National Education Policy -such as integrated approaches to subject matter, student involvement, and problem-oriented teaching methods -have not been effectively implemented by teachers.Zusammenfassung -DIE REFORM DER MITTELSTUFE IM JAHRE 1987 IN GHANA: HAT SIE BERUFLICHEN ODER VORBERUFLICHEN CHARAK-TER? -Das System der ho¨heren Schulbildung in Ghana wurde in den fru¨hen 80er Jahren neu organisiert. Die vorliegende Studie befasst sich mit einem Teil der Reform, na¨mlich dem Versuch, ein berufsbezogeneres Lehrcurriculum fu¨r die Mittelstufe einzufu¨hren. Die Ergebnisse, auf denen diese Studie basiert, wurden gewonnen aus Interviews auf verschiedenen Ebenen und aus Analysen vorliegender Dokumentationen und Fallstudien. Es zeigt sich, in welcher Weise geplante Vera¨nderungen nicht klar genug durchdacht waren und dass ein tief gehender Kommunikationsmangel zwischen den verschiedenen Bereichen des Bildungssystems nach wie vor besteht. Beobachtungen in den Schulklassen machten auch deutlich, dass die Vorstellungen, die urspru¨nglich in der nationalen Bildungspolitik vorgesehen waren -z. B. integrierte Herangehensweisen an die Inhalte, Einbeziehung der Schu¨ler und problemorientierte Lehrmethoden -nicht in wirksamer Weise durch die Lehrer umgesetzt worden sind.Re´sume´-LA RÉ FORME 1987 DE L'É COLE SECONDAIRE POUR JUNIORS AU GHANA : PROFESSIONNELLE OU PRÉ PROFESSIONNELLE PAR NATURE ? -Le syste`me d'e´ducation secondaire au Ghana a e´te´re´organise´au de´but des anne´es 1980. L'e´tude pre´sente s'inte´resse a`une partie de cette re´forme : la tentative d'introduire un programme plus oriente´sur le plan des professions au niveau des e´coles secondaires pour juniors. Les constatations sur lesquelles cette e´tude est base´e sont tire´es d'interviews a`diffe´rents niveaux aussi bien que d'analyses documentaires et que d'e´tudes de cas. Il y est montre´comment des changements pre´vus ne furent pas conceptualise´s clairement et comment un manque se´rieux de communication a continue´de subsister entre les divers e´le´ments du syste`me e´ducatif. L'observation en salle de classe re´ve`le e´galement que les ide´es re´pandues a`l'origine dans la Politique d'É ducation Nationale -telles que les approches inte´gre´es aux matie`res disciplinaires, l'implication estudiantine et les me´thodes d'apprentissage oriente´es sur les proble`mes spe´cifiques -n'ont pas e´te´applique´es de manie`re effective par les enseignants.

Ghana has seen several recent attempts to devolve control over the curriculum to the local level. The present study focuses on a single reform, the Local Content Curriculum (LCC). Analysis of local responses to this reform provides insights into the state's influence on the actions and attitudes of Ghanaian teachers not previously detailed in research on educational decentralisation. These insights into the implementation of the LCC expand the understanding of the tangible effects of educational reform on actual learning institutions and pupils as well as inform about the central government's real ability to effect change in schools. The study also shows how the lethargy of local actors is bound to deeply engrained views about the role of Ghanaian teachers in school and in society.

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During the early 1980s the secondary education system in Ghana was reorganised. This study concerns one part of this: the attempt to introduce a more vocationally-orientated curriculum into the Junior Secondary Schools in Ghana. These findings are drawn from interviews at several levels, documentary analysis and school case studies. There were major gaps and inadequacies in the system in the setting of goals, in the implementation management, in the organisational structures and in the classroom implementation. The study analyses how the planned changes were not clearly conceptualised and how there was a very serious lack of communication between many different parts of the system. The classroom observation showed that the ideas set out in the National Education Policy, such as integrated approaches to subject matter, student involvement and problem-orientated teaching methods, were not being put into practice by teachers. Neither training nor resources had been directed towards helping the teachers to change.