CHASS expresses reservations about GES directives

Tamale, Dec 1, GNA- The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), has urged the Ghana Education Service (GES) to review its policies on the computerized placement of candidates and transfer of students to ensure smooth administration of schools.

Mr. Bolina Saaka, the National President of CHASS, said considering the fact that the third phase of the placement exercise had been reached, classrooms outside the urban areas were empty. Mr. Saaka made these reservations at the 45th Annual Conference of CHASS, which was on the theme: "Secondary Education in Ghana beyond 50 years-the ITC factor," in Tamale.

He asked whether it was not possible to ask heads of senior high schools to compile list of candidates from their localities who wanted admissions and send such list to Accra, instead of the schools being asked to declare vacancies.

Mr. Saaka said another evidence of the lack of trust for heads of schools was a recent circular directing them not to make any transfers in their schools, as it was only the Director of Secondary Education who approved transfers.

"What this means is that if you reside in Navrongo and you want to transfer your ward from Navrongo High School to Bolga High School, the heads of the two schools cannot sort it out. "The parent will either have to trek to Accra to the Office of the Director Secondary Education or post the application."

Mr. Saaka also complained about the undue delays in the payment of Government subsidy to schools and noted that last year the situation worsened with 45 per cent of the subsidy for the third term of the last academic year still outstanding. He said "We are nearing the end of the first term of this academic year a term that saw us implementing the new reform, yet no subsidy has been paid."

Mr. Saaka said Boarding schools in the three Northern Regions were yet to receive full boarding grants for the term. He said, "This state of affairs is certainly stressful. We appeal to our employers to take some urgent action to remedy the situation". Mrs. Angelina Baiden-Amissah, Deputy Minister for Education Science and Sports (MESSP) said Heads of institutions had the onerous duty to ensure the sustainability and success of the new educational reform. She therefore charged them to focus on their managerial discipline and accountability and also improve upon efficiency at their respective schools adding that there was the need for increased enforcement of effective teaching and learning by discouraging teacher absenteeism, lateness and misuse or insufficient use of institutional times. She also stressed the need for Guidance and Counselling Coordinators to be well resourced so that they could help students to select appropriate courses of study. She said that to enable them to effectively help students the Coordinators should be given less periods in the school timetable. Mrs. Baiden-Amissah said with the new educational reforms students of technical institutions in addition to their regular elective trades were now going to have the opportunity to study all the five core Senior High School subjects. She said this would allow graduates of the Technical, Vocational Education Training Institutions (TVETI) enhance their understanding of current technological development in their trades as well as address the challenges of academic progression to tertiary institutions. CO