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The Deputy Minister for Education, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has hinted the government has put in place the right measures to ensure that all successful candidates out of the 571,894 BECE will be placed in any of the Public Senior High or Technical and Vocational Schools across the country.
This, according to him will ensure that the successful candidates would also benefit from the government’s flagship Free Senior High School programme.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour announced this on Thursday when he spoke at the 59th annual national conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.
In attendance at the annual conference which had the theme “Discipline in our schools and child rights; the fate of the school Head” was about 730 Heads of Senior High and Technical Institutions in the country as well as other stakeholders in the education sector especially the pre-tertiary level to brainstorm on gains made so far, discuss best practices, challenges and how to improve the sector for the good of the nation.
Readiness
The Deputy Minister mentioned some of the measures being put in place to absorb the fresh students at the Senior High School level as efforts to ensure completion of projects which were currently at various stages of completion to create more space to accommodate the fresh students.
Again he said, the government is making sure that the right resources are made available before schools reopen to ensure that their admission could be smooth and therefore charged CHASS members to put in place the right strategies and measure in place in their various institutions to create enabling environment for the next admission to be smooth.
Commendation
Rev. Ntim Fordjour commended members of CHASS for their roles and dedication shown over the years towards the development of education in their various schools and the nation as a whole.
He said “I wish to sincerely express our appreciation to CHASS for their diligent service and cherished partnership with the ministry in promoting improved education outcomes, particularly in Senior High Schools. It is heartwarming to note that the implementation of the government’s flagship Free SHS policy has become a success story largely due to the consistent and diligent support of Heads of Assisted Schools”.
“We do appreciate your honest feedback at various stages in the implementation process. We take your feedback in good faith and we want to assure you that with the fervent engagement between the Ministry of Education and CHASS, any challenge that you would bring to our attention will be timeously addressed”. Rev. Ntim Fordjour said.
He assured CHASS that, as it had been the practice from the onset, no key decision on the implementation of Free SHS will be taken without the prior input from them, adding that their inputs were still required as they prepared for the scheduling of the School Calendar for 2022 academic year which begins early next year.
New initiatives
Rev. Ntim Fordjour hinted at plans by the government to catch up with the rest of the world in terms of development and mentioned the establishment and introduction of Open University in the country soon as well as the adoption of the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in our schools next academic year.
He explained that to prove the greater sense of urgency of this agenda, there is an ongoing construction of 11 STEM centres across the country that are at various stages of completion and these schools are going to apply the smart school concept as it is practised in Singapore and other developed countries.
Appreciation by CHASS
The President of CHASS, Alhaj Yakub A. B Abubakar, lauded the government for its commitment and contributions towards the development of education in the country in terms of the provision of infrastructures like classrooms blocks and dormitories, furniture, vehicles and other equipment.
He also eulogized the government for the various interventions it keeps rolling out into the education sector with the ultimate view of enhancing effective teaching and learning in the country as well as the release of funds for the running of schools.
The President of CHASS mentioned indiscipline as one of the major challenges confronting their operations and called on all stakeholders in the education sector to come together to help find a lasting solution to the canker.
