Semester System: MoE and GES are at fault- Boadi William(EAI)
We at Educate Africa Institute (EAI) have realized that the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service have released a semester base academic system. And, unfortunately, the process and its scope depict the incapable state of both the sector and the Ghana Education Service.
The former President, John Agyekum kuffour implemented 4 years of the education system without adequate consultation and preparation. Thereafter, the late former President, John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills also annulled the 4 years system due to lack of infrastructure and as a usual party focus. It is the same thing we are about to endure.
The ministry and the GES are at fault for the following;
1. MoE and GES refused to establish a consensus on the number of hours extended for teaching and non-teaching staff.
2. No proper conditions of service for the workers.
3. They couldn’t foresee the health constraints of both the teachers and their learners.
4. Teacher unions and stakeholders were not involved in the decision.
5. The National Parents Teachers Association (PTA) was ignored.
My dear countrymen, our people in charge of our scholarly programs do not fit the job. We need technocrats to overhaul the sector. These politically motivated men and trying all tactics to conceal the mess caused by their political gods.
Look, as an education think tank body, we can say that the government does not have enough money to finance our education system.
Ghana’s education system has seen a lot of changes under the current government. And, most of the changes have been characterized by education watchers as retrogressive. The few ones which have been described as positive including the free SHS were implemented sloppily. That yielded a double-track system.
1. For two years and on, textbooks have not been published and provided to basic schools. Yet, teachers and learners are performing magics.
2. Capitation grants have been in arrears of four tracheas.
3. 44, 000 teachers representing 15% of teachers have abandoned the classroom due to poor conditions of service. This is the highest in 20 years.
4. CHASS has issued a demand for several months’ arrears in funding to be released for the running of much-vaunted Free SHS, lest they would not be in a position to reopen secondary schools.
5. At the Tertiary level, students are unable to find or afford accommodation in universities obliging some of them to shelve their courses. For example, the first University was established in Ghana, the University of GhanLegongon.
6. Now, University lecturers are on industrial action due to the government’s failure to meet their wage demands.
7. Last year, 2021, College of Education students spent just a quarter of the time they needed to spend in school because-release the release of funds to run the schools.
8. Teacher and nursing trainee allowances have been in arrears for several months. And, we know that it will be canceled and the next option is student loans.
We urge the government to address these challenges and put in dent measures to rescue the education system.
EAI and other stakeholders are ready to help. We need nonpolitical brains to reform the education sector. It seems higher academic qualification personnel are failing the country. Let’s try common sense.
Honestly speaking, both left to the right main parties are sinking our fortunes.
Boadi William
CEO of EAI, Educationist, Journalist, and, Motivational speaker.
0541935106.
