AGGREGATE 51 FOR GHANA NATIONAL COLLEGE! MEMORIES OF THE DON IN A PROGRESSIVELY FREE SHS IMPLEMENTATION AMIDST THE UNDETECTED THREATS

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires” - William Arthur Ward

One particular voice, a female one I had missed in the media as Minister this past nine or so months is that of former Education Minister under the erstwhile John Mahama regime, Prof Jane Naana Opoku Agyamang.  She does not speak frequently but anytime she does, one is left craving for more.

That notwithstanding she had very capable and industrious deputies in the persons of Hon Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Alex Kyereme who never disappointed.

Prof Opoku Agyemang was on “Eko Sii Sen” on Asempa fm, 94.7MHz on Thursday to speak on free secondary education and related matters.

By the time Prof was done with the interview, there was no doubt that it had been a revealing and elucidating session with Kojo Asare Baffour Acheampong, KABA host of the show.

Even the studio guests could not do the usual of bouncing questions on a subject matter bordering their minds off resource persons; an indication of full grasp; an epitome of the Akan wise saying translated “the elder/chief always has the most important say.”

But that was not the case, the governing New Patriotic Party [NPP] Member of Parliament [MP] for Ledzokuku, Dr Okoe Boye wont relent, the medical doctor whined and rant showing that he felt pricked by Prof’s expose’ especially on plans, programs and achievements of the John Mahama govt.

Dr Boye is not alone in this. Another medical doctor, Dr Achibald Letsa, the Volta Regional Minister has also unfairly accused some school heads in the Volta Region of extortion eliciting a response. Then there is the Education Minister himself, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, also a medical doctor.  

According to Prof Naana Opoku Agyemang, the fact alone that the Akufo Addo government is not making the free Senior High School [SHS] program accessible to all including those in SHS 2 and 3 as well as the non-availability of a comprehensive policy document for the implementation of the program renders it a progressive one.

That exposes the campaign promise that “ the NPP will define basic education to include Senior High School [SHS], covering Vocational, Agricultural and Technical schools, and make it available for free on a universal basis to all Ghanaians.”

Enumerating some successes, she said the 2015/2016 BECE results 3994 unprecedented success with a raw score of 564, the establishment of the Community Day SHS and the magnificent E-block classrooms, Ghana consistently topping West African Examination Council [WAEC] exams from 2012 – 2016 as against not too good performances in previous years to the extent that other West African countries are inquiring about how Ghana keep making it.

Overturning a J.A. Kufour policy of 3 pupils: 1 text book, making it 4 textbooks: 1 pupil, reducing teacher absenteeism from 27% to 7%, re-orientation program for teachers, decongestion in some of the schools among many others as the efforts that yielded the results.  

Expatiating on free SHS, she said 320,488 day students are enjoying progressively free SHS in the 2015/2016 academic year and increased to 458,700 in 2016/2017 academic year.

 Comparatively too, students on SEIP scholarship are enjoying Gh1,750 per head, far higher as compared to the current free SHS boarding fee of GH1,022.20 per head.

Unlike the NPP, the NDC’s undoing is seemed being too honest with the electorate

The Minority in Parliament reflecting the larger view of the NDC has been succinct requesting for a national conversation on the sustainability of the program.

Ahead of that national conversation on sustainability, all other things are being heard and experienced. On the same program on Asempa fm, the Eastern Regional Minister, Dr Kwakye Darfour let out a bomb shell that a student with aggregate 51 [far off from the cut-off point] has been admitted into Ghana National College.

There is also the issue of some parents ready to pay any amount of money to have their wards in schools of their choices.

There are other issues of students’ aggregates kept increasing anytime reference is made, worsening their placement situations.

Below is another experience shared by Dr Akofa Segbefia

The Free SHS People Don't Know!!!

Forgive me if my heading is misleading. It has nothing to do with the free-ness of the SHS policy but everything else to do with it. My grand-niece chose one Grade A school in Accra and got aggregate 13. Then the computers at Education posted her to some Efutu school I cannot reach on the map of Ghana.
When my niece and I googled the school, it turned out to be in Ajumako. Meanwhile, Ajumako is so vast

You don't know which of the villages this school is likely to be.

Then we scrolled on and found a telephone number for the school. I dialed. The number does not exist, came the response. Scrolled further and the school said there were only 5 teachers on campus and, as a result, it had challenges with discipline. Aghast, I asked myself if by that statement I was supposed to send my ward to that school?

Then I checked at the school she chose in Accra. It had students with aggregates worse than my ward. No explanation for that. Then my grandniece tells me that parents of some of her mates in similar situation were paying 2,500 of our country's cedis and getting the schools of choice for their kids. I spoke to some of her mates actually and they all confirmed that the amount was paid to some people at the computer place at the

Placement Centre and, Pronto, they got their schools.

Is government aware of this? Forget about someone with bright eyes being posted to a school for the blind. 

This is plain thievery. Why are we doing this to ourselves, may I ask?

The modus operandi is simple: post a candidate with a good grade to some outlandish school. When the parents get desperate, they will pay anything to get their school of choice. So, when all these happen and the system fails, we blame government for the free SHS policy?

Paying C2,500 to get a school is the Free SHS people don't know.

Sadly, I don't have a rifle: I would have gone to the Placement Center and emptied the magazine on all those dumb heads whose only resolve is to make gains for their selfish selves.

Dzimakplawo!!

Then the reaction from Ketasco on free SHS sabotage

RE: Volta Region Schools Sabotaging Free SHS Policy, *The Case of Keta SHTS.*

The boarding accommodation in Keta SHTS is only able to accommodate students of Forms 2&3 (continuing students) only. This is due to the fact that Keta SHTS now runs almost all programmes under the SHS Education Curriculum.

Over the years there has been a tremendous increase in the number of shifts (classes) of some programmes run by the school. For instance, General Science and General Arts both of which used to have only two (A & B) classes, are now having four (A, B, C & D) classes, while Home Economics programme which used to have a class now has two (A & B) classes.

This haven led to a major increase in the intake by the school was a response to pressure on the school by CSSPS to admit more. Since the school was not willing to have large classes sizes, there was a need to bring additional classes, in this case of about five classes.

Assuming each of these new five classes taking in 60 students on average, about 300 students per form leading to an increase in the overall student population by 900 students.

The school currently has an average student population of about 2,000 excluding form 1 students. About 50% of this are boarders.

So Ketasco for the past few years accommodated the form 1 students under hostel facility system.

The hostel facility is operated by PTA regulated by the school. The hostels have house masters and the Students in the hostels are referred to as Special Boarders.

Hostel fees are charged for a year to take care of utilities, repairs and maintenance.

*So it is not true that Keta SHTS Head or representatives of Head is/are charging parents of wards GH¢250.00 for hostel for their wards.*

The School administration regulate in the interest of parents in negotiating the hostel fees. It is PTA that received the hostel fees and not the school.

I believe it is rather in the interest of Free SHS Policy to have this alternative boarding system in the absence of which parents will be at the mercy of private home owners in Dzelukope charging them exorbitant fees. Unless the government is willing to absorb the hostel system too.

For instance, an Accra based parent who went to Dzelukope township yesterday to rent was shocked to have heard a bed in a room is costing Gh¢350.

So under Free SHS parents will have to pay Gh¢350 to rent a bed in town where the ward will have to cooking on his own instead of paying Gh¢250 to get same bed and eat three meals to be provided freely.

I think he needed to have done due diligence before hastily taking the steps he had taken.

I think an instruction to have make the fresh students day students is only a tricky strategy by government to cut down the number of boarders who will need to be provided 3 meals a day, hence cutting down cost.

By:
Ken K. Ocloo
Head, Business Dept.
Member, Academic Board
Keta SHTS.

Aside these, I have heard some heads of schools have been dismissed and others sanctioned. I think in the larger interest of the program the NPP government needs to tread cautiously. Hot headedness won’t help overcome the challenges being encountered. Cool heads and positive engagement will.

So what happens when an action is taken in solidarity with the affected heads?

Per some of these reactions in trying to be punitive, the NPP unknown to itself might just kill this great free education policy started by others.

"A good listener is a silent flatterer” – Proverb