Accra, May 14, GNA - The Ministry of Education is to hold a National Education Forum (NEF) from 27 to 28 of this month in Accra, to discuss the duration of the Senior High School (SHS) education in the country.

Mr Alex Tetteh-Enyo, Minister of Education who disclosed this at a press briefing in Accra on Thursday said the Forum was necessary to put to rest debates over the duration of the SHS Programme. "The concept of the duration of the SHS Programme has generated debates in several circles over a long period and this needs to be looked at again so that we can reach a consensus," he said. The Minister said evidence abound that each time there was an education reform, the position and views of the people were always overlooked during implementation. He said this explained the continuous intense debate on the duration of the SHS Programme.

He said an 11-Member Committee had been set up to plan and organize the forum, to determine a stakeholder-informed solution devoid of partisan interests, to the issue of duration of the SHS Programme. He said presentations would be made by eminent Ghanaian educationists to provide a historical perspective of the issue with reference to the NEF of 1992 and the 2002 Presidential Education Reform Review Committee's Reports adding that the Ministry was also inviting papers from the general public on the issue.

The Forum which is themed "Reaching a consensus on the duration of the SHS for affordable quality education" is expected to be attended by 700 participants nationwide. 14 May 09