Greetings to your highly respected office.
We deem it necessary and indeed saddened to petition your office over the current brouhaha of an imposed Development Levy by your office.
Over the years, S.B.L has been a solid source of support to students. Talking of industrial attachment and the provision of quality lecturers to aid our quest of becoming career men and women in the nearby future.
Your enormous support in this regard has made us to cooperate in the payment of BUSA and EDUSA dues over the past years.
However, there is a circular going viral that students should pay GH¢100 as S.B.L Development Levy. This circular goes further on to say; failure to pay this levy renders one unqualified to register for 2017/2018 academic year.
Basically on this issue do we address your office, hoping that you rescind your decision based on the following reasons:

1. UDS is considered as a pro poor tertiary institution according to the vision and mission of the school. But it is gradually losing its uniqueness due to over burden of levies. The fee alone is a headache for our parents with some components that we don’t benefit from. Such as sports development levy. So the addition of this initiated levy is a punishment to our parents and us.

2. The notice of this initiative came a week to school reopening even though the negotiations is said to have taken place on 5th may, 2017. This short period of notice is causing a whole lot of misunderstandings between parents and students. Our parents after paying Ghs1135 as school fees, Ghs25 as BUSA dues , teaching practice fee (Level 400- Gh¢150.00,Level 300¢ 270.00,Level 200- Gh¢ 170.00,Level 100- Gh220.00) and EDUSA dues (Level 100-Gh 40,level 200 Gh 25, level 300 -Gh 40, level 400-Gh 15) can’t pay any additional levy known as “Development Levy”

3. From our current executives, we are made to understand that the initiated SBL Development Levy was negotiated between your highly respected office and the just past executives. We are not ready to be the sufferers of a negotiation our current executives know nothing about

4. What is the main objective behind the payment of BUSA and EDUSA dues? I am sure that the payment of BUSA and EDUSA dues are channeled towards the development of SBL. If this objective can’t be achieved, how can the objective behind the payment of this Development Levy be achieved?

We plead your office to quickly act on this petition as soon as possible, so that we can successfully go ahead with the registration.

Thank YOU

Published by
Sumaila Abdul Majid
Level 400 (SBL)

SIGNED
Abubakar Mohammed Naziru
Level 400(SBL)

Mr.Duah Ernest
Level 400(SBL)

Abdallah Alhassan Sadique
Level 200(SBL)

Kyei Emmanuel 400(SBL)

ALHASSAN FUSEINI LEVEL 200(SBL)

Danso Nyarko Adam level 400(SBL)

ASHUN ABENA LINDA
Level 400 (SBL)

FREDERICK OBENG AMISSAH
Level 400 (SBL)

Source:EducationGhana.net

We are glad to announce the commencement of the long awaited akwaaba week celebrations to initiate the entertaining spirit of our city to our industrious fresh men and women as being the first among equals. It’s the VALCO AKWAABA FEST which begins today, Tuesday to Sunday-10th September, 2017. Below is the program line up;

TUESDAY: VALCO BOUNCE
WEDNESDAY: LINK UP MOVIE SHOW

THURSDAY: LIVE BAND/COMMEDY NIGHT

FRIDAY: VARIETY/ARTIST NIGHT with a big guest artist on the bill

SATURDAY: FRESHERS AKWAABA TOUR

SUNDAY: AKWAABA PRAISE NIGHT

Valco… Sweet Forgetti

_Come one, come all for a fresh semester experience

For more info, contact *BURNA*- Entertainment Chairman on *0245923560*

_It can still get better, that’s why we are reaching you everywhere so let’s make it happen._
Thank you.
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖
Signed and issued by:
*OFFICE OF THE SRC REPS*

*DANIEL ISRAEL KAKOU* (Rep 1)
Email:jcrc.srcrep1@valcohall.com
*0546751755*

*SUSANA KARIKARI* (Rep 2)
Email:jcrc.srcrep2@valcohall.com
*0543898682*

*MAURICE N.B. SACKEY* (Rep 3)
Email:jcrc.srcrep3@valcohall.com
*0240082095*

*Please follow the link to like and follow our facebook page*

The Ashanti Region tops the chart as the region with the highest number of Senior High Schools in Ghana.

The Upper East Region has the least number of Senior High Schools, 30, with 26 being public SHSs.

Of the 872 SHSs in Ghana, 66% are government-managed while the remainder is privately owned.

Also worthy of notice in the data is the fact that the Eastern Region, which has the second highest number of Senior High Schools in Ghana, 112, receives the most number of Junior High School graduates from other regions to pursue their Secondary education there.

The Eastern Region also records the highest competition rate; the percentage of SHS students who are able to successfully complete SHS.

Greater Accra has the lowest percentage rate of 27.5%, indicating that about 72% of students who attend Senior High School in Accra do not complete.

See the infographic below for a breakdown of the figures across the country.

There is a widening gap in the availability of educational infrastructure as one moves up the academic ladder between Kindergarten and Secondary education.

While there are over 22,000 Kindergartens across the country, there are only about 800 Senior High Schools in the country.

Holding other factors constant with the assumption that all students move up the various academic stages, the current number of Senior High Schools in the country will in no way be able to admit qualified students to pursue the Senior High School education.

The infographic below captures the breakdown of the number of schools in Ghana.

The data represented in the infographic above are for the 2015/2016 academic year.

The Ministry of Education has revealed that more than 10,000 students who wrote their BECE in previous years but could not enroll for various reasons have been placed in schools this year.

According to the Deputy Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the number represents more than 100 percent increase in what has been recorded in previous years.

Addressing the media to provide an update on the ongoing SHS PLACEMENT process, he said the increase was due to the Free SHS program initiative introduced by the New Patriotic Party government.

“This year, because of the Free SHS, there is an increase in the number of people who applied; over 10,000. In the previous year, it has been about 3,000. And every one of them was included in the computer selection process. No child has been left behind in terms of those who were willing to go back to school,” he said.

Release of funds to schools

Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum said the Ministry was engaging the Heads of the various Senior High Schools, to draw a road-map for the release of funds to cover the cost of education of all the Free SHS beneficiaries.

The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), has said they are yet to receive funds to cater for the freshers.

Other stakeholders including the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), have urged the government to make the funds available to the schools before it reopens for the 2017/2018 academic year on 11^th September, 2017 to avoid interference in the academic calendar.

But the Minister is optimistic all the needed resources would be made available to the schools on time.

“We’ve given them guidelines as to funds that will come to them and funds that will not come to them and the resources that we’ll send to them,” he said, adding that the government will provide Free SHS resources for first-year students only.

He also reassured parents and prospective Senior High School students that they will be placed in schools they personally choose.

credit: citufmonline.com

The  Computerized Schools Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) has been able to place majority of the  2017 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates into the Public Senior High Schools in the country.

Candidates were informed to check their placement status and print out their admission letters to be endorsed by their headteachers and submitted to their SHS headteachers .

The exercise started with candidates facing varying degree if challenges in the process.

A situation that has led to the change in the other  website www.myjhsresult.net to Cssps.gov.edu .

In a  press briefing on Tuesday,the Deputy Minister of Education ,Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum said a special support service has been created at the Ministry of Education in Accra and at the various regional and district directorates of education to tackle emerging problems that parents might be facing with the placements of pupils into senior high schools.

According to the deputy minister,parents whose children have been placed in schools with only day facilities and where such schools are far away from their homes could connect with the placement centre for any possible change.

This gives the moonlight for such candidates to also benefit from the Free SHS Policy.

Source:

The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), is demanding that the government immediately resolves all anomalies preventing the payments of the August salaries to four thousand of its members.

The Controller and Accountant General’s Department suspended the salaries of about seven thousand workers in the public sector because their heads of department failed to validate them as workers in their respective institutions.

Credit: Citifmonline.com

Those affected according to the Controller, includes public sector workers who failed to validate their payroll through the Electronic Salary Payment Voucher (ESPV) system, those with irregular or no bank account details, those with wrong SSNIT numbers, as well as employees not captured on the biometric registration system at the Ministry of Finance.

Sixty percent of the affected workers are known to be teachers.

But speaking to the media on the subject matter, President of NAGRAT, Christian Addae Poku, said they must not be made to suffer for the inefficiencies of government.

“From now in the next two weeks, they will start the payroll run again and when they start, it is difficult to make any changes. So within the shortest possible time, they have to engage the Ghana Education Service (GES) to resolve the issue fully because the teachers cannot continue to work for two months without pay. That will not be permissible. We expect that the Controller and Finance Ministry engage on this,” he said.

The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) will officially roll out its flagship free senior high Sschool (SHS) educational programme with a launch on Tuesday, September 12, 2017.

But the Founder and 2016 Presidential Candidate of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, has observed that the free SHS programme currently under implementation by the NPP is not consistent with the 1992 Constitution which places emphasis not only on free education but compulsory and continuous as well.

“It does not matter who and which political party implements the constitutional provision of free, compulsory and continuous education from kindergarten to the end of senior high school. Whether it is the ruling NPP, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), or the PPP that introduces the scheme, what matter most is that it is a constitutional provision which must be obeyed and adhered to,” Dr Nduom argued.

Constitutional provisions

Chapter 5 of the 1992 Constitution on Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms, Clause 25 (1) states that all persons shall have the right to equal educational opportunities and facilities and with a view to achieving the full realisation of that right.

Clause 1 (a) states that basic education shall be free, compulsory and available to all, while clause (b) also states that secondary education in its different forms, including technical and vocational education, shall be made generally available and accessible to all by every appropriate means, and in particular, by the progressive introduction of free education.

Long overdue

In an interview in Accra on Tuesday, Dr Nduom insisted that it was long over-due for Chapter 5 of the 1992 Constitution on Fundamental Human Rights and Freedoms, Clause 25 (1) Sub Clauses (a) and (b) to be fully implemented.

According to him, issues related to education were in the Constitution but was worried the compulsory nature was muted.

“If you become a President of the nation, you are obligated to uphold the Constitution of the country. If we all stay committed to the Constitution and implement it to the letter, that will be okay.”

“It means we are implementing the law of the country,” he posited.

Different educational policies

According to Dr Nduom, while the NDC was talking about progressive free education, the NPP was insisting on free senior high school but when they were challenged, they shifted the goal post since it was not their programme.

Accordingly, it was only the PPP that was consistently talking about the compulsory, continuous and free aspect of educating the Ghanaian child from the basic to senior high school level, Dr Nduom asserted.

Funding

On funding, the business magnate cum politician said the cost of having many children un-educated was far higher than to have our children educated.

“Let the people understand that the cost of not implementing this constitutional provision is far higher,” Dr Nduom stressed.

In his view, if the country sets its priorities right, it could fund the programme smoothly.

“Every day we read in the media about some money wasted either through corruption or whatever. There is a lot of money out there going waste and if we set our priorities right, we can fund the scheme,” he underscored.

“Let’s train more teachers, provide more teaching materials and facilities and we can make education free in the country,” he stated.

Free SHS education

The NPP will officially launch its flagship free SHS education on September 12, 2017. It will cost the government about GH¢400 million to implement the free SHS programme for the 2017/2018 academic year.

Four hundred and twenty four thousand and ninety two  (92 per cent) Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates qualified to be placed in SHS and would benefit from the free SHS programme.

A total of 36,849 candidates, which represents eight per cent of candidates who sat the BECE, failed to secure placement because they scored grade nine in either English or Mathematics.

Credit: graphiconline.com

Even before the much–touted Free Senior High School is fully rolled out as part of the campaign promise of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), would-be beneficiaries of the policy have become indifferent.

A barrage of frustrations that have characterized the implementation of the exercise has made Free SHS a turn-off.

In the wake of the Ministry of Education, through the Ghana Education Service (GES)’s announcement of the Computer Placement System for the selection of students for the various Senior High Secondary Schools (SHS) across the country, parents are looking elsewhere for quality education for their wards.

It is even speculated that the government is intentionally frustrating parents in the process for them not to opt for the government schools to beat down the numbers of admission to enable the government to raise the needed funds for the exercise.

The teething problems associated with the implementation of the exercise have pushed some parents to seek solace in some of the good private secondary schools across the country.

Some of the private Secondary Schools that have had their admission processes soared in the wake of the free SHS challenges in the Central Region and in the Greater Accra Region are St. Andrews Senior High School and Ideal College respectively.

The genesis of the school was at Assin Fosu on the October 5, 2005 with 25 students and five tutors but currently operates from four additional campuses, namely Mankessim, New Edubiase, Dunkwa-On-Offin and Bonus Nkwanta

Speaking at a press conference to announce the success chalked by St. Andrews Senior High Secondary School in the last West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSE), Dr. Richard Kofi Asiedu, proprietor of the school, said in spite of the myriad of problems that has bedevilled the efforts of private schools, the sector continues to chalk successes in the academic front.

According to him, even though the private schools are disadvantaged with huge financial burdens, as well as lack of logistics, yet managers of such institutions have exhibited efficiency in tuition in the country.

‘’The aroma of such feat ought not to be swept under the carpet since it has the tendency to serve as a catalyst in the private education sector.

“For me, the achievements attained by the private schools could not have been possible but for the prudent measures instituted by the management of these schools.’.

He explained that the schools have helped shaped the fortunes of students who, hitherto, would have been left to their fate in the Assin Fosu area in the region.

The proprietor said the achievements of the school in the 2017 WASCE and the results are unparallel in the history of private secondary education in the country.

Highlighting the WASCE success, he said out of the 212 students who were presented for the exams, 194 students obtained an appreciable grades between A1 and C6 in all subjects which automatically qualifies them entry into the tertiary institutions in Ghana and across the world.

He said out of the qualified students, the highest had aggregate 9 and the lowest was aggregate 7, but most aggregates were ranged between 10 and 15, with several students obtaining diverse impressive grades while 51 of them had A1? in their various subjects.

He further indicated that the overall impressive results, 18 students who could not enter the university, however, gained admissions to various post-secondary institutions, such as the Teacher and the Nursing Training Colleges for further studies.

‘’The following were some of the measures that were put in place and which helped to yield the positive results including; making all the Form 3 students boarders, cancellation of mid-terms break for students, operating of supermarket to cater for students needs and barbering and hairdressing salon located on campus.

Others are abolishing the use of mobile phones which takes students time, repetition and scrutiny of students who perform abysmally in the promotional exams, ensuring that discipline was observed at its best in all segments of life on campus.

Touching on the prospect of the school, he said in the 2018/2019 academic year, the school would change over from day and operate a full time boarding system in all its five campuses just as in the case of the grade ‘A’ schools, such as St. Augustine’s, Wesley Girls, Mfantsipim, Aburi Girls and Adisadel College, to name a few.

St. Andrews SHS, according to Dr. Asiedu has been two times recipient of the “Best Private SHS Award for the year 2014 and 2016 respectively which was monitored by the West African International Magazine.

The school pursues General Arts, Business, Home Economics, Agricultural Science, Visual Art and General Science was said to have produced the highest number ever in the history of WAEC/WASCE Examinations with Candidates of 1,812 at a sitting in 2013 a proud record according to the Founder and Proprietor of the school is unparalleled and yet to be broken.

The St. Andrews School, in a befitting recognition for its enviable systematic academic achievements, is now recognized as an Examination Centre for both May/June and Nov/Dec WAEC Examinations, besides the recognition from the GES.

Source: Kojo Mensah

The Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, which takes off next week, does not replace the Northern Scholarship enjoyed by SHS students in the northern part of the country, Mr Kingsley Agyemang, Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat, has said.

Mr Agyemang, who stated this when he addressed a press conference in Tamale on Tuesday, said “As far as the Northern Scholarship is concerned I wish to place on record that continuing students in the second and third years will continue to enjoy their scholarships.”

He said, “the introduction of the Free SHS is only coming in as an add-on to rope in other students who hitherto would not have benefitted from Government scholarship.”

The press conference was to enable officials from the Scholarship Secretariat, who were on a routine monitoring and evaluation tour of the region, to dispel some rumours and misconceptions about the Free SHS policy.

Some of the rumours and misconceptions in the region included the fact that the introduction of Free SHS meant the abolishment of the Northern Scholarship for continuing students as well as a central system of procurement, which would require all purchases including foodstuffs to be done from Accra.

Mr Agyemang said the Northern Scholarship would run alongside the Free SHS policy with all students continuing to benefit from the programme.

He said there would be prompt release of feeding grants for beneficiary students so as not to disturb the academic calendar.

Mr Agyemang also spoke about some reforms at the Scholarship Secretariat, which included the computerization of its operations to improve delivery.

He said a new system of payment to ensure the transfer of funds directly into the accounts of schools has been introduced “to not only eliminate cost and the high risk of travelling to Accra to collect cheques but also and more importantly ensure prompt payments of scholarship claims.”

Credit:3news.com

Former Deputy Education Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has asked the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration not to claim glory for being the first to commence free senior high school (SHS) education in the country.

According to him, his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), first started Free SHS in 2014 with a total of 10,400 students.

President Akufo-Addo’s NPP government has announced that the Free SHS programme will start this month (September) with the first-year students in all the public senior high schools in the country.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, September 4, the current Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, urged parents and guardians not to pay any fees demanded by heads of senior high schools since the government was taking care of all such expenses.

“Students are not supposed to pay any fees,” he said, adding, “As a matter of fact, PTA-levied fees like utilities, development levy, and even teacher motivation are going to be paid by the government. As a result, we’ve made it abundantly clear to headmasters that money should not be the reason why a student should not go to school. Therefore no parent should receive a bill.”

Dr Adutwum added, “Even if PTA meets and decides in consultation with GES that there is something they want to do and they want parents to contribute, it will not be mandatory. If Mr Kojo Mensah doesn’t have money to make that contribution for his ward, the student will not be prevented from going to school.”

Poor Communication

But speaking on Asempa FM’s ‘Ekosii Sen’ programme on Monday, Mr Ablakwa said, “I think the NDC as a party we need to improve on our communication strategy. Free SHS is not starting in Ghana on the 11th of September this year; it is not President Akufo-Addo who is starting free SHS and many people don’t know this.”

He indicated that NDC “…had a loan facility from the World Bank under the Secondary Education Improvement Programme.

“Under this there were four components – the first was to build the 23 senior high schools, the second component was the training we provided for Maths, Science and ICT teachers and there was a third component called Quality Improvement Facility upgrade, and the fourth categorically was the scholarships for needy senor high school students.”

He said, “The agreement we signed with the World Bank for the next five years at that time – 2014 to 2019 – was on granting scholarships and implementing free SHS for 10,400 students.”

“There are over 400,000 SHS students nationwide and the current administration is not relying on loan to finance the programme.

“Also when compared to the 424,092 students who are expected to benefit from the NPP’s Free SHS policy in its first year, the 10,400 figure mentioned by Ablakwa is just a peanut,” an educational analyst observed.

Worry

The NDC appears worried about the implementation of the Free SHS programme this month, as President Akufo-Addo is seemingly bent on fulfilling his campaign promise to the Ghanaian people.

President Akufo-Addo has been very swift in honouring his pledges to Ghanaians and that is apparently causing panic within the NDC camp.

It’s unclear why Ablakwa is even claiming that his party started the free SHS education when indeed, the NDC had vehemently pointed out that it was not possible to implement Free SHS policy in Ghana, but rather the country should focus on quality education – the very reason for which ex-President Mahama opted to build some 200 Community High Schools nationwide, a project he (Mahama) woefully failed to complete before being booted out of power in a disgraceful manner in 2016.

Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Yaw Adu-Twum has disclosed that the funds for the implementation of government’s flagship education policy—Free SHS—will be released to all schools by Friday.

“Your money will come to you. We have no reason to keep your money. We are making every effort….and we will not ask you to come for your cheques…we will send it to your banks. So don’t worry the money will hit your accounts,” assured Adu-Twum at the 55th National Conference of Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools in Ho Wednesday.

Meanwhile, CHASS is demanding a blue print for the implementation of the policy

The blueprint, according to the President of CHASS, Cecilia Kwakye Cofie would guide school heads to effectively implement the ambitious policy in all public schools.

Madam, Kwakye Cofie made the comment while addressing the 55th national conference of CHASS ongoing at the Mawuli School in Ho in the Volta region.

She indicated that the blueprint referred to as the ‘free SHS bible’ will help school authorities not to overstep their bounds in ensuring the success of the policy.

Over 400,000 prospective SHS students are expected to benefit from the flagship policy which kick starts next week.

The genesis of the Free Senior High School implement by government has been met with several challenges.

The managers of the policy hasn’t been relented in their course for an all inclusive educational policy.

With the introduction of the Free SHS Policy,teacher motivation fee/dues/levy which was a token of parents/guardians appreciation to teachers for their immense contributions in shaping the minds of their wards have been slashed to GHC20.0 per annum or (GHC6.67 per term) per each student in government’s attempt to absorb fees for the 2016/2017 academic year.

Over the years,Parents through the approval of Government paid GHC30.0 per annum(Ghc10.0 per term) to their various PTA account in SHS to be used as a token of motivation to both teeaching and Non-teaching Staff.

Initially by consensus ,Non teaching Staff who also contribute in educating students were included under the bill item for SHS as “STAFF INCENTIVE LEVY” (GHC10.0per term & GH30.0).

This GHC 30.0 per annum to be absorbed by government has been slashed to GHC20.0 per annum(GHC6.67 per term).

Also, NON TEACHING STAFF ARE NOT PART IN THE SHARING OF THIS LEVY:-

According to Nana Addo, the GHC20.00 Teacher motivation is strictly to be shared by Teachers since non teaching staff do not stay with the students during instructional hours.

Again,government’s Policy says EXTRA CLASSES is illegality and even if PTA under its General Meeting passed any Resolution on any charge(s) ,it SHALL NOT BE COMPULSORY/MANDATORY for a parent to PAY NOR BASES to deny the ward/child education, even if the Parents/refuses to pay/or are unable to pay.

Source:EducationGhana.net

The Government of Ghana in its effort to ensure that basic education is truly free, as well as encourage participation by all especially children from deprived communities promised to distribute 250,000 pieces of school uniforms and 40,000 pieces of school sandals to pupils in selected deprived communities.

The government also promised in the 2017 Budget Statement to provide KGs in the 1,171 primary schools without Kindergartens across the country. It promised the construction of 200 of these Kindergartens in 2017.

iWatch Africa conducted a mid/third-quarter assessment of governments commitment to delivering on its promises to Ghanaians.

Below are the findings;
Our nationwide survey has revealed that the promise to distribute 250,000 pieces of school uniforms and 40,000 pieces school sandals is yet to commence.

Our survey also revealed that the commitment to build 200 kindergartens in 2017 will likely not be met as the project had not commenced in any of the 70 districts our team visited across the country.

However, we can confirm that the government honored its commitment to pay 70% of 2017 BECE candidates registration fees.

Government has also promised to fully absorb the BECE Registration Fees for all public Junior High School (JHS) students starting from the 2017/18 academic year and iWatch Africa will provide a progress report on the government’s commitment.

The government has also promised a 100 percent increase in the Capitation Grant from GHS 4.50 to GHS 9.00 per child per annum beginning 2017/18 academic year in its effort to roll-out the free Senior High School program.

Our team will provide an end of year assessment of this commitment as well.
Source: citifmonline.com

A 35-year old Ghanaian security expert has developed a technology that can rescue robbery victims from a control room of about 900 KM away and within 360 degrees without the help or before the arrival of police in crime and robbery attacks

John A. Akutam CEO of Glatins Company limited has hinted that the Technology to be rolled out early next year help in curbing criminal activities in the country after pretext later this year.

He   revealed this when a Chinese delegation paid him a visit in his office to test the collaborated demo on how to use sophisticated CCTV and intrusion system that can detect weapons and signal their control room.

According to him, the intension is to help improve the Security system at police check points that are not able to detect weapons, adding the system can automatically spray out specialized chemicals at exit and entry points where criminals will be using to exit or enter.

Over 6,000 classrooms within the various Senior High Schools in Ghana are in deplorable states as they need repairs.

Whereas about 1,984 SHS classrooms need major repair works, 4,079 require minor touches.

Ghana as at 2015 had 863 Senior High School. Of the number 562 are run by government while the remaining 301 are privately owned. This was contained in a Ministry of Education service report dubbed: Report on basic statistics and planning parameters for Senior High Schools in Ghana for the 2014/2015 academic year.

Consider extending free SHS policy to private schools – Group According to the report, Ghana could boast of 18,532 permanent classrooms which represented a 5.8% increase as compared to the figure of 2013/2014 academic year which was 17,523.

“…there are 18,532 permanent classrooms in the schools, and this represents an increase of 5.8% over the 2013/2014 figure of 17,523. Out of the 18,532 permanent classrooms, 1,984 classrooms need major repairs, and this constitutes a reduction of 6.1% when compared to the previous year’s figure of 2,114. Again, of the total number of permanent classrooms, 4,079 of them need minor repairs, and this represents a marginal increase of 0.6% over the previous year’s figure of 4,053,” the report added.

The report also noted that generally, Ashanti Region “has the highest number of classrooms needing major repairs (322) while the Upper East Region has the lowest number (75).”

“…The percentage of permanent classrooms in Senior High Schools needing major repairs is 10.7%, representing a drop of 3.8% when related to the 2013/2014 figure. The percentage of permanent classrooms in Senior High Schools needing minor repairs is 22.0%, showing a drop of 4.8% over the previous year’s figure of 23.1%.”

The report also showed that comparing the conditions of facilities by regional figures, SHS classrooms in the Volta Region “are in the worst state of disrepair with 16.1% of permanent classrooms needing major repairs while the Ashanti Region has the lowest figure (8.0%).”

Free SHS policy & rush for School placements

This information comes at a time when there is a rush for SHS placements following the rolling out of government’s free SHS policy.

The Ghana Education Service (GES), last week Friday announced the posting of over 400,000 BECE candidates to various Senior High Schools in the country.

Following the breakdown of the website for the computerised placement system, government subsequently introduced a new website to facilitate the process and extended a 48-hour deadline for the registration to Thursday, September 7, 2017.

Credit:Citifmonline.com

The mix-up with the Computer Schools Selection and Placement system (CSSPS) this year seems to have had a lot more effect on entrants of various senior high schools.

Several disgruntled parents and frustrated students besieged the CSSPS center Thursday morning to register their displeasure at the turn of events as regarding the school placement for their wards and to secure last minute placement for their wards before the process ends today.

Ghanaweb discovered one such entrant; Akuramaa Berlinda who though has no hearing impairment had been placed at the Mampong Akuapem School for the Deaf for admission.

Speaking exclusively to Ghanaweb.com, a frustrated Berlinda indicated that previous efforts to get officials at the centre to work on the error had proved futile. She had therefore come to the premises to ‘try her luck’ considering the fact that today was the deadline given by government.

“I have been posted to Mampong Akuapem Senior High Technical School and I don’t have any hearing challenge, I came here for them to change it but nobody from the CSSPS is responding to my concerns”, she said.

Berlinda appealed to government to intervene in the situation.

“I appeal to government to intervene so my issue can be resolved. I can’t go to Mamong School for the deaf” she added.

Chaos engulfed the Computer Selection Placement system Center in Accra as angry parents thronged the CSSPS center to secure last-minute placement for their wards. Significant anomalies have placed the system since it started forcing a second extension in the deadline this year.

The government gave assurance to parents and wards after they stormed the premises of the Ministry of Education Monday September 5, 2017.

But angry parents who stormed the offices of the CSSPS said they are losing confidence in the promises being made by the governments.

Credit:Ghanaweb.com

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has once again extended the earlier deadline for registration to the close of today [Friday].

This marks the third such extension. The GES has said this is to allow some 40,000 Basic Education Certificate Graduates (BECE) graduates, who had challenges in securing places, to do so.

“The closing date that is supposed to be [Thursday] is being extended to [today] midnight so that we allow people who have not been able to access the website to do so before it is too late,” Reverend Jonathan Bettey, the Public Relations Officer of the GES noted to Citi News.

Rev. Bettey also added that people had problems assessing their website because of problems in keying in the website address and that “if you [make mistakes] there is no way you will be able to get the website correctly.”

The Computerized School Selection Placement System (CSSPS) initially encountered some challenges, with error notices greeting some BECE graduates who had been trying, since September 1, to access the website for self-placement.

But the government said these problems had been addressed, following the setting up of a new website.

The original website for the self-placement, www.myjhsresult.net, now contains a link that directs users to the new website, www.cssps.gov.gh.

The issues with the CSSPS began when the GES announced an extension for the placement of BECE candidates after it emerged that over 100,000 qualified candidates had still not been placed.

The GES asked qualified students who were not placed to go online and select an option available during the now-extended window.

These challenges have led some anxious parents to express fears that their wards may miss the deadline, but government assured that no candidate would be cut off by the deadline.

Uncertainty over reporting

Meanwhile, Citi News checks in the Central Region has revealed that prospective senior high school students who have been to various schools in the Region are still uncertain about their reporting dates.

Heads of these schools say they are yet to receive the list of enrolled students from the GES hence the uncertainty.

Our Central regional correspondent, Joseph Ackon Mensah has more in this report.

Credit: Citifmonline.com

The government has released for disbursement half of the GHc 486 million earmarked for the government’s Free Senior High School Education policy.

The money is expected to hit the accounts of various public Senior High Schools before they reopen next week for classes to begin.

Available figures indicate that over 400,000 first year students are expected to benefit from the Free SHS this academic year.

A Deputy Minister of Finance, Abena Osei-Asare, speaking to the press following the release of the money, said her ministry was only waiting on the final enrollment figures from the Ministry of Education.

“All we are waiting for is the Ministry of Education to tell us the various numbers that have been placed in each school and based on that, we will go ahead and transfer the monies. By Friday [today], the money should hit all the accounts we have been provided with.”

“For the GHc486 million, it is ready and we have issued the first part, that is the 50 percent,” she added.

The Minister urged all the banks involved in the transaction “to expedite action as soon as the funds hit their accounts and draw the attention of the respective schools that the funds have hit their accounts.”

This development is in fulfillment of the Deputy Minister in-charge of pre-tertiary education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum’s assurance to the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS).

CHASS had raised concerns that, although the government had promised that it was going to release funds to them two weeks before re-opening, they were yet to receive the funds.

Credit:Citifmonline.com