Awutu Senya East: Private schools threaten demo

The Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) in the Awutu Senya East Municipality say they will embark on a demonstration over what they term as deliberate efforts by the government to collapse private schools.

According to the association, the government is pushing to get them out of business.

“We are deprived of any internal or government support yet government is doing everything possible to destroy our business,” chairman for GNAPS said.

“The Private schools after this press conference will be going on a massive demonstration with both teaching and non teaching staff, parents and all alumni,” Rev. William Baako, Chairman of the Association added.

He criticized the teacher licensing exams saying the majority of teachers are Junior High School graduates.

“I want to know how government is going to rope in the private teachers onto the licensing exams since majority of them are Junior High School graduates. Private school teachers are not stable and are not interested in any national certificate,” he said.

According to the chairman, private school operators are constantly being harassed by the Municipal Assembly for payment of exorbitant property rate, business operating permit among other bills.

“The Municipal Assembly and other agencies are always on our necks charging exorbitant fees for property rate, business operating permits among other and this is pushing us out of business,” Reverend Baako said.

He indicated that Ghana’s educational system has fallen as a result of bad policies and political interference.

“There is no clear cut policy underpinning our educational sector, each change of government comes with another manipulation of the sector leaving it bleeding with little or no direction. Free SHS was hammered on back and forth and finally we arrived at its implementation and it is clear that this policy is riding on the wings of political whims and caprices,” Reverened Baako said.

He also pointed out that stakeholders of Education were not duly consulted before the introduction of the new curriculum adding that schools were asked to print the syllabus online and soon after doing that the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment through the Ghana Education Service warned schools not to print them out since they are full of mistakes.

“We have wasted monies in printing syllabus which are full of mistakes and now government is organizing workshop for schools whereas the syllabus and textbooks are not yet available”.

“Schools have gone on vacation without the issuance of the termly list of books for students, if really the policy is a good one why then the rush in its implementation.” Reverend William Baako asked.

He maintained that teachers of today are confused and cannot tell the direction of education in Ghana.

“Teachers always swallow the bitter pill of political ideologies which may not suffice the realities of the modern day school system” he explained.

The Associations made some recommendations to government adding that Ghana Education Service certificate renewal should be made biennially and not annually.

Again they want workshops for private schools to be free.

 

Source: citinewsroom