Let’s call a spade a spade: Who is failing our children?

Aggregate 26. Aggregate 29. Aggregate 36. Aggregate 39.
Read these numbers again and think about them carefully.
These are not just numbers printed on a results slip.

They are BECE aggregates, and behind every one of them is a young Ghanaian whose next step depends on it.

Across the country, many parents are checking placement forms, discussing school choices, calculating transportation costs and hoping their children will gain admission into good schools.

But before we ask where these children will be placed, we should first ask a question everybody dislikes hearing: How did we get here?

They Are Only Children
When examination results are disappointing, the familiar refrain is, “They are only children.”
Yes, they are children.

But being a child should lead to guidance and support, not the removal of responsibility.

Childhood is the period when adults are expected to teach discipline, create good habits and help young people understand that success often requires effort and sacrifice.

So let us be honest. Sometimes a child simply needs to study harder. In other cases, a child needs additional academic support.

At times, a child simply needs the presence of an adult to tell her firmly, “It is time to put the phone away and study.”

What Is Taking Away Their Attention?
If you enter many Ghanaian homes late at night, you will notice a common scene.

A child is lying in bed with a mobile phone, scrolling through videos or social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat or WhatsApp.

Today, television, sports and other hobbies are no longer the only things competing for children’s attention.

Digital platforms, carefully designed to keep users engaged for long periods, have joined the contest. Unfortunately, these platforms often win.

You do not need a study to see this. Ask any teacher in the staffroom, and many parents will tell you the same.

A child who once spent time reading books now spends hours watching short videos without remembering much of what was watched

The Phone Is Not the Problem
To be fair, the phone itself is not the enemy.
Technology and social media are not inherently bad. They provide many benefits.

They help people learn new skills, communicate with others and access information.

For instance, a child living in a small town can now access educational resources that were once available only to children in large cities..

The real problem is the excessive and unsupervised use of technology. When there are no rules, no limits and little adult supervision, children can easily spend large amounts of time online without focusing on their studies.

Let Us Look at Ourselves
We should also ask the difficult questions nobody dares to ask at a family gathering.
Who bought the smartphone? Who pays for the internet data?

Who allows the child to use the phone late into the night? Who checks whether homework has been completed? Who monitors what the child is watching online?

Parents should not provide unlimited access to technology and later be surprised when the child is distracted.

In many cases, adults unintentionally make the situation worse by giving children tools that eventually defeat them.

We Cannot Blame Teachers for Everything
Teachers deserve a fair hearing. There are certainly situations where teachers contribute to educational challenges, but education is a shared responsibility.

Parents, teachers, schools and learners all play important roles in a child’s success. No single group should carry all the blame.

Many people believe that extra classes are the solution whenever academic performance drops. While extra lessons can help, they are not a complete answer.

A child who struggles to concentrate, follow routines or study independently may continue to face difficulties regardless of how many additional classes are provided.

In some situations, the challenge is not the quality of teaching but the absence of strong learning habits and self-discipline.

A Number Is Not a Sentence
It is also important to remember that an aggregate score of 26, 29, 36 or 39 does not mean a child lacks intelligence or potential.

Children learn at different rates and under different circumstances. Some face financial difficulties. Others may lack educational support at home or in school.

For this reason, poor results should never be used to ridicule or embarrass a child. At the same time, we should not ignore the factors that may have contributed to those results.

What Should Parents Do?
Parents can take several practical steps.
They should establish clear boundaries for technology use. They should monitor their children’s activities instead of simply providing devices.

They should create regular study routines long before major examinations approach. They should also track academic performance early and maintain communication with teachers.

Most importantly, parents should show interest in their children’s education before examination results are released, not after.

Who Is Really Failing Our Children?
If we are honest, the answer is uncomfortable: when no adult is watching, all of us are

An aggregate score of 39 should never become a reason to shame a child. However, neither should we dismiss concerns by simply saying, “They are only children.”

Technology is not going away. Smartphones and social media have become part of modern life, and they will continue to be present in the future.

The real question, then, is this:
Will we teach our children how to control technology, or will we allow technology to control them?

About the author:
The writer is a Lecturer in the Department of Communication Studies, University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA).