The Director of the Counselling Centre, Prof. Godwin Awabil, has called on teachers to teach their students study skills so that they will improve upon their academic performances. He noted that one of the missing links in Ghana’s educational system was the absence of study skills which many teachers had failed to teach the students. “We present our lessons to students and ask them to learn without the specific techniques that they would use in learning so that they can improve upon their academic performance,” he observed.

Prof. Awabil was making a presentation on “Improving the Study Habits of Students through Study Skills” at a seminar for students of Accra College of Education.

Prof. Awabil said most students fail examinations because they had not been taught Study skills and indicated that “In our educational system, from primary school to university, it is important that we teach the children not only content but methods they can use to master the information, how to take notes, manage their time, all these skills are very essentially if we want improvement in academic performance of students.

The Director of Counselling Centre explained that teaching the students study skills would help them plan their study time, read and write effectively, adding that students would be able to take notes properly, concentrate very during study and also remember what they have learnt. He further indicated that it was essential for teacher trainees to be taught study skills because, they would become effective learners; promote good academic performance and retention of students. He also mentioned that it would enable teacher trainees to become effective teachers and to be able to teach others study skills.

Taking the teacher trainees through the types of study skills, Prof. Awabil mentioned memory strategies, time management skills, concentration strategies, consultation strategies, note-taking methods, reading strategies, writing skills and test/examination taking strategies.

Prof. Awabil advised the students to be guided by the study skills strategies to help them adopt good study habits in order to improve their academic performance.