3-year SHS churning out remedial candidates – Elizabeth Ohene

A Former Minister of Education Elizabeth Ohene has described Ghana’s current Senior High School system as a pity. In an interview with TV3's Odelia Ofori, the former minister said both the NPP and the NDC have failed in offering quality education.

The NPP administration started a 4 year Senior High School programme after claiming that a thorough research conducted by respected educationists had recommended an extension of the duration.

But this was short-lived as it was reverted by the National Democratic Congress which took over power in 2009. This could be blamed on the lack of political will to implement any national development plan that makes continuity compulsory.

The NDC’s action was touted by the then opposition as a fulfilment of a campaign promise and not a desire to pursue a genuine course. But the party just like the NPP then, also backed its decision with a research which concluded that quality education had nothing to do with the extended duration.

The former Minister of Education Elizabeth says the three-year period is too short for students to assimilate their programmes of study. Speaking to TV3 at the homecoming ceremony of the Abuakwa State College, she stated that the system is only churning out more people for remedial schools.

“The NPP did not just change to the four years for nothing. A lot of work had been done that showed nearly more than 70% of the young people who were going to the tertiary institutions were taking their exams at two sittings. That certainly meant there was something wrong”.

But she quickly asked the NPP, not to revert the three-year duration when they win power.

“If I have something to do with it, we are not going to go back to four years again because what’s the point. We can’t be doing that to Ghana as if we are playing football with it. So we just have to do with the three years. I think it’s a pity, but that’s what we have”.

Madam Elizabeth Ohene, who could not clearly endorse the NPP’s free SHS policy, insisted that Ghana should be moving towards where every Ghanaian child would at least receive secondary school education.

“In Ghana, a child’s education should be a minimum of secondary school. That’s what we are saying. If there are people who cannot pay, then the only way to guarantee for many people will be when it’s free”.