The Ministry of Education says all is set for the government to roll out a full stream free senior high school (SHS) for the 2019/2020 academic year, which begins this September.
The Deputy Minister of Education in charge of General Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, in an interview, said 470,000 first year students would be expected to enrol in all public schools under the Free SHS this year.
That, he said, would bring the total number of students in public SHSs to about 1.2 million nationwide.
Dr Adutwum said the academic year would have Forms One to Three all under the Free SHS programme and they would, therefore, be fed and provided with free textbooks, exercise books, school uniforms and tuition.
Budget availability
Dr Adutwum said the government had budgeted for the figure and, therefore, funds, as well as the needed textbooks and other logistics, were available to ensure a smooth take off of the academic year.
Asked of the readiness, Dr Adutwum said the government was strategic by securitising the Ghana Education Trust fund (GETfund) to cater for the infrastructure development of schools, thus allowing government to focus on the real needs of the students.
Double track
On the issue of double track system, he explained that some of the SHSs had had an upgrade of their infrastructure needs and might be moved out of the double track, adding that the phase out of the double track would be based on individual schools and not a wholesale issue.
Dr Adutwum was excited that beginning September, over 1.2 million children would gain admission to access secondary education, adding that in 20 years’ time, the level of critical thinking in the country would be high.
Educated mothers
“From then, we will now begin to see the level of improvement of your health indicators,” Dr Adutwum said, adding that a research had shown that a secondary educated mother did certain things very well.
He said, for instance, that even though the illiterate mothers were also able to do certain things right, “but there are things that come to the educated ones with ease.”
He was of the belief that with high number of educated mothers, the maternal mortality could potentially go down because they understood certain basic things, adding that it had been proved that secondary education improved health indicators.
“Beyond that, secondary education will offer us the opportunity to build a bridge to tertiary which will tie in with our gross tertiary enrolment ratio,” he explained.
Gross tertiary indicator
Dr Adutwum said that was a very critical indicator of the transformation of a country, citing, for instance, that currently Ghana had a gross tertiary enrolment of 16.19 per cent, while South Korea had 93 per cent and US 85 per cent.
He explained that even though the Africa average gross enrolment was seven per cent, “sometimes, we are caught up in what I call the Africa mediocrity because we feel that 16.19 per cent is a great achievement.”
He said looking at the 2018 World Bank human capital index, Ghana was second in Africa next to Rwanda, “but we were 72nd in the world. So do you want your people just to compete like any other in the world, or you want to be the best in Africa?”
Source: Daily Graphic
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Mark Range (%) Grade Comment 75 - 100 A1 Excellent 70 - 74 B2 Very Good 65 - 69 B3 Good 60 - 64 C4 Credit 55 - 59 C5 Credit 50 - 54 C6 Credit 45 - 49 D7 PASS 40 - 44 E8 WEAK PASS 39 and below F9 Fail It should be noted that, this is the same grading system used both at the basic and high school levels in the country. The major concern, however, is the cut-off grade (point) accepted by the various tertiary institutions before allowing entry to new applicants. Not few, but all tertiary institutions – universities, technical universities (or polytechnics), colleges, etcetera, have made it a requirement for people to obtain from A1 to C6 before they could be admitted. Aside the tertiary institutions, the security services, and other employers deny people their rightful opportunity to work and serve the country because of D7. The question is, what does D7 stand for? What does it mean when WAEC grades a candidate with a D7 grade? D7, as you may have noticed in the grading schedule, means a ‘PASS.’ This means that a candidate who obtained D7 has NOT failed, but has passed. D7 is classified by WAEC as PASS, not fail. And if it is such, no tertiary institution or employer should disregard it. Well, per the records, I have been a student with outstanding results; and in my short career as a teacher, I had taught my students to attain nothing but excellence. I usually asked them which they will choose from, a range of hundred down to forty cedi; and based on their unified opinion, I urge them to strive for the best. “Why get B2 when you can get A1 like I did?” I used to ask them. I am in no wise writing this article to promote laziness among students. But it is very much unfair, to treat students who have passed, as though they failed, when in reality, the whole of West Africa is a witness to the fact that they have PASSED. This is a major impediment in the way of candidates because those who come out with a D7 grade (which already is a pass), have to re-write to make a better grade before they are offered admission. Frankly, it takes some students one whole year to make a better grade; it takes most people, many years; and for others, it is the end of their academic dreams. What an unfair way to end the career of our young people. Another major factor is the money involved in registering for such re-sit, or private candidates’ exams (Nov-Dec, as is popularly called). I see this as a clear extortion being made by the same body which awarded the D7 to those candidates as a PASS. Further, our beloved country loses much human capital because many applicants are denied further education even when they had obtained PASS. Many people are denied the opportunity to further their education. And because of those same unjust scales, people unnecessarily waste many years to re-write an examination they had already passed. Doors of employment are shut, and the privilege to serve mother Ghana withheld from able youths even after they have successfully passed their examinations. This delays the growth of our human capital, and the development of nation at large as our youths waste their minds trying free themselves from the nets of D7 and E8. Dear reader and fellow advocate, before signing-off, I wish to draw your attention to the fact that in a country built on the foundations of Freedom and JUSTICE, even with E8 (which is a weak PASS), candidates are more than qualified to be enrolled in our tertiary institutions. Let’s stop putting impediments in the way of the growth and development of our human capital. As considerations are being made for a centralized admission platform for all public universities by the Ministry of Education, it is urgent and important, that this issue be given critical consideration – to allow students with D7 pass grades the opportunity to competitively apply and be selected to further their education. Until then, I urge all stakeholders in the education arena, especially the tertiary institutions, to stop putting impediments in the way of students with D7 PASS – by granting them admission to further their careers. Thank you. Written by: Rich Akpalu Author of the book “GOD IN ME.” Disclaimer: "The views/contents expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not neccessarily reflect those of Modern Ghana. Modern Ghana will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements contained in this article." News Sports Lifestyle Entertainment News Sports Lifestyle Entertainment
A Second Look At The Cut-Off Grade (point) For Admission Into Tertiary Institutions
If D pass than that mass to university
When you buy lies on credit the whole nation suffers. U can see from their lying faces with the plea try me and see I beg you.
Those who thrive on the ignorance of others must bow down their heads in shame... The school dropout rate is going down... An educated child has a higher tendency and propensity to think critically, use the internet to research for opportunities, identify one and proceed to create something of business value by themselves. An educated child can discern truth from propaganda and lies...this is what the nay-sayers don't want... Ghana is working again...
Only the less careful can joke with education. Neil Amstrong did not go to the moon with liees or propaganda. South Korea, which was on the same economic level with Ghana at independence, did not a world technology destination with liees or propaganda. All countries that have made it economically and technologically used the route of education. The Free SHS policy is one of the best things to happen to Ghana since independence and we hope the Almighty will guide its proponents and implementors to steer it to succeed.
@ Ranas Freema. all be lie!!! NPP GREEDY BASRTARD!!
Infact every Ghanaian should consider and put the NPP educational policy into consideration .I am not a politician and I have never vote for any political party before.but I am appealing to all Ghanaians to vote the NPP into power to enable them to complete all their promises.education is the key to success in human life so we should help the NPP for them to help us