The Bolgatanga chapter of the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) has registered its displeasure at the Government and Ghana Education Service’ (GES) policy of reserving 30 percent of admission slots in ‘Category A’ Senior High Schools for students from public schools and are calling for its abolition.
In a petition to President Akufo-Addo, GNAPS said the policy of reserving 30 percent of admission slots in the ‘Category A’ SHSs for public school students seeking admission into SHSs has led to many qualified students of private schools missing out their first choices as a result of vacancy deficit in the ‘Category A’ SHSs occasioned by the implementation of the policy.
Describing the policy as discriminatory, the Association asserted that the policy which was implemented in 2017 has given an undue advantage to students from public schools to the detriment of the private school students as their students compete with public school students for the remaining 70 percent of the slots after the reservation of 30 percent for the public school students.
“We have been duly informed that 30% of vacancies for admission into SHS has been allocated to public schools while the remaining 70% is competed for by both Private and Publics again. This practice has gone on unexplained resulting in majority of our qualified children missing out their first choice schools due to vacancy deficit created by the already 30% allocation to Public School,” the Association said in the petition signed by its Chairman Kris Josef Akubah.
The Bolgatanga chapter of GNAPS said though they were informed of the policy, they are yet to come to terms with the rationale behind such a policy which does not ensure fairness in the placement of JHS graduates into SHSs.
In line with the free SHS policy of ensuring equity, the government, through the free SHS secretariat, indicated prior to the commencement of the free SHS policy that 30 percent of admission vacancies in ‘Category A’ SHSs would be reserved for students from public schools who perform credibly well in the BECE.
But in the assertion of the private schools, the policy infringes on the right of the students of private schools to equal opportunities. They are therefore calling on the Ministry of Education, the GES and the school placement committee to see to the abolition of the policy.
“We do not understand the rationale behind the practice and therefore wish to vehemently register our displeasure at the practice while calling on the Ministry of Education, GES and the school placement committee to ensure that the practice is abolished as it infringes on the right of all children to fair opportunity without obstruction for whatever reason, since they are all Ghanaian Nationals,” they demanded.
They are also worried about government’s refusal to include private schools in the school placement arrangement. The Association said government’s failure to include some high performing private SHSs as suggested by GNAPS secretariat has led to the collapse of some private SHSs while others are on the verge of collapsing due to lack of patronage. They want government to reconsider its position and include some of their schools in the school placement system.
While commending government for including private schools for all Covid-19 interventions, they want government to fast-track the process for the disbursement of funds of the Covid-19 stimulus package to private schools and their staff as the delay in disbursing the funds is generating discontent among their staff.
They are also demanding for broader consultations in order to adopt the most effective measures that will ensure the safety of students when schools fully resume.
Below is the Association’s petition to government.
Friday September 11, 2020
GHANA NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS’ PETITION TO GOVERNMENT – BOLGATANGA CHAPTER.
Ghana National Association of Private Schools in compliance with His Excellency, President’s directive to close down all schools in connection with the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, has kept faith with the government’s position despite the obvious challenges such a decision pose to the operations and survival of its membership.
We, unreservedly, wish to commend and applaud government efforts for the inclusion of Private Schools for all the COVID-19 interventions and the stimulus package promised us which is yet to be accessed. The delay generating discontent among the rank and file of the private sector who are beginning to think that government is insensitive to their plight almost about six months of financial drought. Hence, if action can be expedited on this aspect of the process of the stimulus package, it will definitely be appropriated and a plus to government once again. As against this background we can’t help but to pledge our support of government’s firm efforts to contain the pandemic which will ultimately pave way for the resumption of full time academic work.
However, a number of concerns have arisen following this directive as well as other existing bottlenecks that need the immediate attention of government. We there bring to the attention of government the following concerns.
We have also noted with great concern the directive to keep schools firmly closed despite having called for submissions from various stakeholders and players in the education sector on how to reopen school, which are yet to be done. We fully appreciate government’s position on the possible backlash that may emerge should a case be registered when schools resume. We are however of the opinion that a blanket reopening of all schools will not even serve the needed purpose hence the need to pilot the process in order to pick up lessons for the resumption of all schools in January 2021. We therefore believe that children who are currently in upper primary to school JHS two should be allowed to resume with strict enforcement of the covid-19 protocols. Lessons could then be drawn which will inform our strategy of moving into 2021 full time academic work.
Added to the above issues, is this discriminatory practice associated with the school computer placement of BECE products in Senior High Schools which have been in practice since 2017. We have been duly informed that 30% of vacancies for admission into SHS has been allocated to public schools while the remaining 70% is competed for by both Private and Publics again. This practice has gone on unexplained resulting in majority of our qualified children missing out their first choice schools due to vacancy deficit created by the already 30% allocation to Public School. We do not understand the rationale behind the practice and therefore wish to vehemently register our displeasure at the practice while calling on the Ministry of Education, GES and the school placement committee to ensure that the practice is abolished as it infringes on the right of all children to fair opportunity without obstruction for whatever reason, since they are all Ghanaian Nationals.
Also worrying is an issue we have pushed for recognition on all fronts but to no avail. The GNAPS secretariat has on many occasions and on various platforms called for the inclusion of high performing private SHSs in the school placement arrangement so as to facilitate the survival of these committed partners to educating the children the basic schools churned out yearly who are equally Ghanaians. Some hitherto high performing Private SHSs have either collapsed due the lack of patronage of such schools or are currently on their knees due to poor patronage. We believe government needs to re-look at that decisions as it portents the possibility of exacerbating the already high unemployment situation the country is grappling with right now.
It is our firm believe that, government’s decisions on the current state of our education system is well intended. However, we believe a broader consultative process could bring up and out for consideration a more innovative strategy to bring back our children and yet experience low or almost no infections at all. This stems from the fact that if restrictions of all public gatherings are scraped off and parents, guardians and children do not infect each other than how can reopening of schools result in such under strict supervision of facilitators.
A listening government like that of the NPP should reconsider its decision. Thank you.
Signed.
Kris Josef Akubah.
GNAPS Chairman.
Bolgatanga
