EduWatch advises MoE on decision to close non-performing SHSs
Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) following the Ministry of Education’s decision to close down non-performing Senior High Schools has asked the Ministry to rescind its move and focus on improving education at the basic level.
Kofi Asare, the Director of the EduWatch who made the suggestion on behalf of his outfit in a post sighted by AcademicWeek said Senior High Schools can perform academically well if quality education is offered at the basic level.
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Commenting on the 0% pass rate in West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), the Africa Education Watch official said that is amid the poor aggregate obtained by BECE candidates admitted into second-cycle schools.
“When Senior High School attract an aggregate of 40-54 students, why blame Heads for 0% WASSCE pass & close down? The solution is quality improvement at the basic education level. Focus on Basic to improve secondary,” he said.
The education think tank Director comment comes after the Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum last weekend told heads of Senior High/Technical School to improve their educational outcomes or stand the risk of having their institutions closed down.
At the meeting with the CHASS and Principals of Technical and Vocational Education and Training TVET Institutions, the Minister said intervention programs should be put together for schools with a consistent zero to ten per cent pass rate.
The intervention he said will ensure that the majority of students find opportunities for further studies adding that closing the schools down would help save the nation the huge financial losses being incurred by the government.
Dr Yaw Adutwum indicated that non-performing schools would be closed down and affected students would be redistributed to nearby schools for them to continue their education and become relevant to the nation.
He cited the roles of heads in the transformation of education in the country lauded them and pledged to continue providing the needed resources and urged them to work very hard to ensure that they attained the right results.
On the part of Gifty Twum-Ampofo, the Deputy Minister for Education, in charge of TVET, she reminded the Principals to ensure that students were well equipped for the job market and also let the schools pass through them and not the students passing through the school.
The Education Minister in charge of TVET also urged them to spend time enhancing their capacity through reading relevant courses and books to support their effort at getting the best training for their students.
This academic year’s meeting held in Kumasi is an annual event the Education Minister share with heads of schools the state of education in the country, discuss new development in the sector and answer questions on issues affecting them.