Security analyst, Adib Saani has said the Akufo-Addo is conveniently using the Covid-19 pandemic to cover up its failures in the education sector.
Mr. Adib Saani said this in reaction to the reintroduction of the double-track system in some Senior High Schools for SHS One students by government.
President Akufo-Addo in his address announcing the reopening of schools indicated an end to the double-track system for SHS One and Three students following the expansion of infrastructure in the various schools across the country.
But the Ghana Education Service, in a press release ahead of the scheduled date for SHS One students to report to schools, announced a reintroduction of the double-track system in some Senior High Schools for SHS One students.
The reintroduction of the double-track system, the GES explained, has become necessary following the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic which calls for stricter adherence to the safety protocols in order to safeguard the lives the students.
But speaking on TV3, Adib Saani dismissed the claim that the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic necessitated the decision.
He asserted that the decision to re-introduce the tracking system is as result of government’s failure to provide adequate infrastructure to accommodate all the students. The security analyst said although Covid-19 has caused so many inconveniences in the whole world, it is being used by many governments including that of Ghana as an accuse for their inefficiencies.
“I am not in anyway bastardizing the idea that Covid-19 has brought a lot of changes to our plans even at the individual level. However, I think Covid-19 is being used to cover up for certain inefficiencies and it is not exclusive to Ghana. The world over where there are inefficiencies, the most convenient excuse is Covid-19,” he said.
For him, President Akufo-Addo was dishonest when he announced an end to the double track system and attributing it to expansion in infrastructure arguing that the latest decision does not support the president’s claim.
He urged government to always make adequate preparations before taking any decision with regards to the education of children so that it does not have to make sudden reversal of critical decisions which breeds confusion in schools and negatively impact teaching and learning.
“I think if they had really planned like they said, we wouldn’t have had Covid-19 distracting the whole process. When the president announced it, it seemed like plans were already advanced because I remember clearly he said it with so much confidence and all of a sudden we have things Changing in such a dramatic manner is what’s surprising to me.
I think we are being disingenuous towards the students. We need to be very careful the way we handle this. Decision regarding education should be made with necessary protocols in place. When you make such a sudden change, it gets shrouded in confusion and diffusion which has a toll on teaching and learning,” he added.
