Accra, Nov. 5, GNA - Mr. David Anaglate, Ghana's former Ambassador to Togo, on Wednesday called on government to merge private and public schools at the basic level for quality education in the country. Speaking to the GNA in Accra, Mr. Anaglate said the existence of private Junior High Schools (JHS) alongside the public JHS was not healthy for quality education because fees charged in the private schools could not be afforded by most parents.

He noted that available statistics indicated that about 75 per cent of university admissions were from private JHS, thereby building a class society where children from affluent families had a better chance of gaining admission to the university. "Unless something radical is done about the dual system of education, whatever reforms implemented cannot ensure quality education," he added. Mr. Anaglate pointed out that when the JSS system was first introduced in 1987, the policy was to stop private schools from operating within the sector, but it changed under intense lobbying by proprietors of private schools and the affluent in society. 5 Nov. 09