Category: Education

More than 100,000 junior high school graduates who sat for the 2023 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) are yet to report to school. These students have been placed by the School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) to the various senior high schools and the technical and vocational education and training institutions. Madam Sally Nelly Coleman, the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Director of Education, said out of the 590,000 students from the metropolis placed across different schools in the country, 453,000 of them had filed for admission, leaving more than 100,000 yet to report to their respective schools. She expressed worry over the issue and said: 'We think this situation demands urgent attention.' Madam Coleman said the Government was making every effort to ensure that every child of school age in the country went to school, hence the introduction of the Free Senior High School Policy. 'But if the problem is still financial, the parents of these students can approach the Education Dir ectorate so we can find some sponsorships from Non-Governmental Organisations and other institutions who are ready to help,' she said. Currently, there were lots of vacancies in some category 'C' schools in the Western Region, which were ready to admit fresh students, she said. The circuit supervisors had been encouraged to investigate the issue and promised to reward them if they were able to put in measures to ensure that the students at home went to school, Madam Coleman noted. 'You know it can be a national security threat allowing these number of students to stay at home idle, so we should all ensure they go to school.' Source: Ghana News Agency

Ms Keren Naa Ayiyaakor Lamptey, a Ghanaian student from the GIMPA Law School, has emerged as the best law student in The Gambia. A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency said Ms Lamptey received three other awards, etching her name in the annals of The Gambia Law School history. She won Best Female Student, Best Student in Criminal Procedure, and Best Student in English and Legislative Drafting. In a heartfelt valedictory speech to dignitaries and the congregation, she expressed gratitude for the unwavering support of her friends and colleagues on this challenging legal career path.? 'There is a popular adage in our African culture that it takes a whole village to raise a child into prominence. I will definitely not be here without my family.? 'To say thank you is even an understatement. Words might not be enough to show how appreciative I am,' she said.? She urged the graduating class to persevere, be consistent, form study groups, and seek help when needed. 'I have had my fair share of disappoint ments along the path, but as you can testify, that is never the end of the road. Failure can be a lesson that catalyses your growth and progress.? Gird up your loins; do not give up. Focus on your goals, and with the help of God, your moment of laughter will surely come,' she said. Acknowledging the support from the faculty and fellow students at The Gambia Law School, Keren underscored the pivotal role of collaboration and shared learning experiences in the collective success of the student body. Ms Keren called on the management of The Gambia Law School to consider easing regulations for international students, advocating for the chance to practice law in the country where they are called to the bar. ?'In as much as we appreciate the opportunity offered us to study here, the package would be complete if we were permitted to practice in the land in which we are called,' she said. Her remarkable feat serves as a beacon of inspiration for aspiring female legal professionals across the African continent. Her journey exemplifies the triumph of perseverance and dedication in the pursuit of excellence. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Upper East Regional branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on the Government to take immediate steps to ensure caterers in the School Feeding Programme (GSFP) resume work. A statement signed by the Regional Communications Officer, Mr Jonathan Abdall Salifu, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga, said: 'Since the resumption of public basic schools on January 9, 2024, for the second term of the 2024 academic year, caterers contracted under the programme have failed to fulfill their contractual obligation, leaving innocent children without the nutritional support they depend on'. It said capitation and feeding grants for special schools had been in arrears for almost two years. 'Shockingly, the budgetary allocation for basic education as a percentage of the pre-tertiary discretionary budget, has declined from 30 per cent to 10 per cent since 2017,' the statement said. 'Our investigations across all districts in the region reveal that this issue is widespread, affecting n ot only the Upper East Region but also the northern regions of Ghana.' It said caterers who are essential stakeholders in the programme attributed their noncompliance to several months of arrears owed them by the Government. 'Shockingly, some caterers reiterated they have not been paid for over three school terms, highlighting the dire financial situation faced by those responsible for preparing meals for school children,' the statement said. It said the consequences of the actions were severe and impacted on the well-being and educational experience of the most vulnerable members of society; children. The NDC noted that the GSFP is aligned with the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme Pillar Three, aimed to enhance food security and reduce hunger, which aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on hunger, poverty, and malnutrition. 'The neglect of this programme at this critical time jeopardizes the goals of increasing school enrollment, attendance, retention, red ucing hunger, malnutrition, and boosting domestic food production,' it said. 'Failure to address these issues promptly will inevitably lead to high dropout rate, increased absenteeism, and worsened malnutrition, with far-reaching implications on education outcomes and the overall quality of education'. It referenced reports from Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), a non-governmental Civil Society Organization, which indicated that some basic schools in the country had no desks, and in some cases, parents were compelled to pay for desks. 'Basic school children in deprived districts lack essential materials such as exercise books, uniforms and workbooks, further hindering their ability to learn. Textbooks have become a luxury that only a few fortunate students can access,' it said. The NDC said it remained committed to championing the rights of every child to quality education and a dignified life and would continue to monitor the situation closely, and work tirelessly to ensure that the necessary steps were taken to safeguard the educational well-being of children. 'We also implore all stakeholders in education to prioritise and actively advocate increased budgetary allocation, improved teaching and learning resources, and comprehensive support for basic education.' Source: Ghana News Agency

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) will on Thursday, February 01, 2024, open admissions for all public tertiary institutions to apply for accreditation to run new programmes. Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, the Acting Director General of GTEC, who announced this said there would, however, be strict and guided clauses to inform the whole process. 'As we accept applications for new programmes, there is something that is going to inform the whole practice and it includes setting up a new body which specifically will be dealing with policy approval,' he stated. Speaking at a meeting of Vice Chancellors of Technical Universities in Kumasi, Prof. Jinapor Abdulai said 'We want institutions to stay in their niche and mandate areas and could not be doing everything and anything. 'The system whereby you have technology institutions which are mandated to do technology-oriented programmes but today are doing Akan, Twi, Dagbani, I think should be something of the past,' he stated. The Acting Director Ge neral said the new body to be set up would ensure that the programmes had relevance to the developmental aspirations of the country and such programmes should not be programmes that fed into the saturated market of the economy. Prof. Jinapor Abdulai giving the background of the reconsideration of Commission to receive new applications indicated that somewhere in October 2023, the GTEC issued a fiat putting a freeze on all new programmes for accreditation due the backlog of unaccredited programmes in tertiary institutions. He said under the wheels of the accelerated accreditation approach, the Commission had been able to clear close to 1,000 programmes that had been in backlog for some time now. He said the GTEC was interested in fast tracking applications, such that once an application was brought in, it should be able to get approval within six months. Prof. Jinapor Abdulai envisaged an accreditation environment that was digital, efficient and had the public's confidence to engender a sanitised tertiary education space. Source: Ghana News Agency

The Campaign Against Privatisation and Commercialization of Education (CAPCOE) has called for the alignment of Ghana's education system with the economic needs of the country. Mr. Richard Kovey, the convener of CAPCOE, stated in an interview with the Ghana News Agency that it was critical that the educational system become directly responsive to Ghana's economic development. Mr. Kovey said the need to have a curriculum that largely supported skilled training rather than theory could not be overemphasised, indicating that it was the only way to add value to the country's natural resources. He stressed that, just like in other countries, such as China, having skilled training would lead to the nurturing of inventors and problem solvers, not just academic scholars. He said it was not enough to train and examine students only theoretically; rather, the inclusion of practical projects to evaluate their creativity and innovation was important. He raised concerns about the education system's inability to guide and redirect children's energy towards positive ventures during their formative years. He noted that such an approach would replace the popular 'chew and pour' learning system and encourage a hands-on, practical approach to learning. The CAPCOE convener said the theoretical assessment of students had led to students relying on cheating with others, thinking they have the right to practice examination malpractices. He lamented that the situation was so worrying that students were even provided with past questions to study in a bid to pass examinations while they graduated and became 'wait-for-instructions employees.' Mr. Kovey attributed the focus on theory teaching to inadequate funding for tools and equipment for practical teaching, resulting in graduates possessing theoretical knowledge but lacking practical skills. Source: Ghana News Agency