MoE reacts to Manasseh Azure’s claim on 1st-yr students prospectus
The Ministry of Education (MoE) following Manasseh Azure’s allegation that some 2023 BECE graduates are yet to receive their Senior High School prospectus has said the the national prospectus has been attached to the placement slips of students.
The Ministry’s comment comes after investigative journalist and the Editor-in-Chief of The Fourth Estate claimed he knows of a student yet to receive his prospectus from the second cycle school where he was placed.
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“When the senior high school placement list is released, it takes more than a week for the schools and students to register. It takes more time for most students to get admission requirements and put the prospectus together.
Some students even travel while they await the release of results and placement and would need time to go back and prepare. So when you announced the school placement and asked schools to start orientation in less than a week, it wasn’t realistic that the students would benefit from your directive.
I know a student who does not yet have the prospectus from the senior high school he was placed. By the time he gets it and finishes preparing, the December break will be here.
The appeal from parliament to begin in January was in order, but those in charge rejected it. What this means is that the students will lose December, but it will be counted as part of their months for instruction.
And I wonder whether the interest of the poor children is considered when those in charge want to meet their targets and deadlines,” the Editor-in-Chief of The Fourth Estate said in a social media post sighted by AcademicWeek.com.
But spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, Kwasi Kwarteng reacting to Azure’s allegation said students do not have to travel to schools to pick their prospectus before they come home to prepare for school.
“Did Manasseh just say he knows a student who does not yet have the prospectus from the SHS he was placed? It pays to take your time to get a broader understanding of a situation before you come out to speak.
Well in case you didn’t know, the harmonized national prospectus is already attached to the placement slips of students. Students do not have to wait or travel to the schools they were placed before they access it.
So the assertion that you know a student who hasn’t gotten his prospectus yet from the school where he was placed cannot be true. Is just a fabrication to make you sound convincing and appealing. That’s unprofessionalism on your part as a journalist.
Are you also aware the prospectus was published in the newspapers weeks before the placement results were released? Are you also aware the academic calendar which stipulates the opening date for schools has been in the public space for months now?
Whilst I concede that face value the preparation time for parents and their wards may appear short, the reality is that the introduction of the harmonized prospectus which is already attached to the student’s placement slip has rather cut the preparation time/period by almost a week,” the Public Relations Officer for the Education Ministry said.