GES Snubs Parliament, Teacher Unions
… Insists SHS One Students Report To School On December 4
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has ignored Parliament, despite several concerns raised by Members of Parliament (MPs), teacher unions and stakeholders in the education sector over the reporting date for first-year Senior High School (SHS)students to be rescheduled from December 4, to early January, next year.
Parliament House, through a press release dated Friday, December 1, proposed that due to the short notice with its attendant inconvenience, the Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, should reschedule the reopening date to the first week of January to allow sufficient preparation time for parents, teachers and non-teaching staff.
The Speaker, Alban Sumana Bagbin, consequently directed the Education Minister to appear before the House today, Monday December 4, to brief the members.
But even before the minister could appear before the House, the GES, in a less than 24-hours, issued a directive, insisting that the reporting date remains Monday, December 4, 2023, as indicated on the placement form.
In a statement issued on Saturday, December 2, the GES urged parents, students and the general public to take note of the specified reporting date, emphasizing that it aligns with the information provided on the Placement form.
The statement, signed by Cassandra Twum Ampofo, the Head of Public Relations at the GES, stressed that schools are expected to commence the registration and orientation of students from December 4, 2023.
“Per the academic calendar, there would be Christmas break on the 21st of December 2023 and resume on the 3rd of January to continue academic work till March 5th 2024,” the statement noted.
The GES management encouraged students who are yet to complete their Self Placement to do so promptly.
The statement expressed gratitude to all stakeholders for their collaboration and support in the CSSPS process, emphasizing the need for patience to ensure the smooth implementation of the SHS academic calendar without disruptions, aiming to return to the pre-COVID academic schedule.
Last week, some Members of Parliament, particularly from the minority side, urged the Ministry of Education to reconsider the decision to have first-year SHS students report on Monday, December 4, 2023.
The concerns raised by the MPs focused on the challenges parents might face in preparing their children for school within the short timeframe between Thursday and Sunday, following the release of school placements.
They deemed it incomprehensible for placement information to be released only two days before expecting students to report on Monday.
Below Is Published the statements from GES and Parliament:
Source:Anchorghana.com
