A former UN consustant, Professor S.K.B. Asante, on Saturday called for a review of the policy that allows for wholesale promotion of pupils in basic schools, even when they do not perform satisfactorily.

He said promoting students who are weak alongside their more capable colleagues, amounts to rewarding mediocrity and laziness, and also destroys the future of such students who need more time to measure up and called for a public debate on the issue.

Asante, who is also the Chairman of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, was delivering a speech on "The role of stakeholders in the development and progress of education in the new millennium" at the 53rd speech and prize-giving day of the Abuakwa State College, at Kyebi in the eastern region of Ghana.

Asante also called for the establishment of a firm foundation for reviewing the education system towards promoting creativity, science and technology and the acquisition of basic skills, which holds the key to development and progress.

He observed that for the educational system to achieve the objective of serving as the principal forum for acquisition of knowledge and skills that are vital to Ghana's development, "it must be cost-effective, efficient and pragmatic enough to answer the needs and aspirations of society".

Asante said for this, to be achieved, focus on the teacher in improving educational standards should be fully acknowledged, by designing and implementing incentive packages for them, especially those in the rural areas.

He acknowledged the need for government to provide the policy framework for determining the direction of education, but said this could only be successful when the other stakeholders in education such as the private sector, executives, civil society and alumni of educational institutions join in this effort.

He said the attitude of students remains another vital ingredient that influences the system and its ability to achieve results. "Irrespective of the efforts of teachers and the quality and quantity of infrastructure put in place, if the students do not apply themselves diligently to their studies, the educational sector would still not yield the desired impact."