Robert P. Jackson
Outgoing United States (US) Ambassador to Ghana, Robert P. Jackson, has backed government’s decision to introduce a double-tracking system for the free Senior High School (SHS) initiative in order to admit more students for 2018/2019 academic year.
Speaking to journalists at a press conference on Tuesday, July 24, this year in Accra, Mr. Jackson indicated that contrary to criticisms against the government, it makes sense in the short term to introduce the double-tracking system to make optimum use of classroom space available.
He said emphatically that “Ghana has a lot more to gain from putting additional people in senior high school, so I am supportive of the idea of free Senior High School.”
The Akufo-Add-led New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration recently adopted the double-tracking system to accommodate the increasing number of students in public schools under the Free SHS policy which was introduced in September 2017.
DAILY GUIDE understands that currently about 362,118 first-year students in public SHSs in the country are benefiting from the policy, with 117,692 of them being day students and 244,426 as boarders.
Due to the increase in enrollment in 2017, the Education Ministry, led by award-winning Member of Parliament (MP) for Manyhia South, Dr Mathew Opoku-Prempeh, popularly called Napo, has projected that enrollment for 2018 may hover around 472,730 against a reported available seats of 290,737, leaving a gap of 181, 993.
The Ministry has pointed out that the double-tracking system shall offer students more instructional and contact hours with teachers as well as make better use of the available classroom space.
But the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its ‘surrogates,’ as well as the President of policy think tank, IMANI, Franklin Cudjoe, have openly kicked against the move.
Mahama Opposes
Ex-President John Mahama twitted on Wednesday, July 25, 2018 to condemn the move, saying that “Introducing shift system for SHS? It doesn’t help to continue to implement this all-important free SHS programme on an ad hoc basis.”
In an interview with STARR FM, an Accra-based radio station, Mr. Cudjoe also indicated that “it doesn’t make sense to carry out the tracking system.
“Why don’t you, if you really insist on doing this, use a voucher system so that you give vouchers to parents up to a certain amount to choose which schools they [parents] want their kids to go to,” Mr. Cudjoe quizzed.
Envoy Insists
However, Mr. Jackson insisted that government was doing the right thing as far as the double-tracking system is concerned.
He said that the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service (GES) must “look at the options for the medium and long term, in making the initiative more effective and impactful.
Support
He pointed out that the US Government shall continue to support Ghana to ensure success of the free SHS policy, noting that “we will be offering ideas on classroom management.”
The Ambassador also indicated that the US would provide ideas to make both the senior high school and primary systems as strong as possible.
“I am especially pleased with what we have been able to do in partnership with the Government of Ghana in the education sector.
“Today, we have trained 700,000 primary school students in the early grades in the phonic programme.”
The first test result should be available next month (August), and I am certain that we are going to go from the two percent comprehension level that we saw in 2016 to something much higher. I expect it will be over 50 percent. 30,000 educators, who have been trained in 7,000 schools, are making a difference in this programme, and next year we will be adding another 400,000 students to the programme, so it’s expanding rapidly.”
By Melvin Tarlue