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We’ll include private schools in free SHS programme — Mahama

The flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has pledged to include private secondary schools in the free senior high school programme when his party wins the December election.

He said since many private schools have the necessary infrastructure and human resources to support the programme, it was only proper to rope them in.

Former President Mahama also referred to a recent Edu-Watch, a civil society organisation report highlighting the burden being shared by parents and the government at the secondary education level, with the former bearing about 77 per cent of the cost of educating their children despite the free SHS programme.

The flag bearer was speaking at the launch of the 2024 annual week celebration of the Ghana National Association of Private Schools in Accra on the theme:

“The 2024 elections, GNAPS manifesto.”

Partnership

Mr Mahama emphasised the importance of private schools as partners in the provision of quality education in the country, for which reason there was the need for the government to complement their efforts.

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He lauded management of private schools for their significant contribution to education in the country over the years, saying they were trailblasers and pacesetters in the introduction of new teaching techniques and procedures in the system.

Members of the Ghana National Association of Private Schools in Accra

For instance, the former President mentioned the Montessori curriculum which he said was introduced by private schools to facilitate teaching and learning.

He also said that private schools were more effective in handling special children because of their teacher-to-pupil ratio.

Review

Mr Mahama further assured the association of private schools that an NDC government would prioritise education by bringing all stakeholders in the industry together to review the entire education structure from the basic to the tertiary level to ensure better outcomes.

He said his government will from 2025, invest heavily in basic education to ensure a strong foundation for pupils.

Appeal

The President of the GNAPS, Prof. Damasus Tuurosong, appealed to the government to absorb the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) registration fees paid by private school students.

He also called for the inclusion of private schools in the free SHS programme and a review of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act 2020 (Act 1023), to do away with exorbitant regulatory charges by the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA), the National Teaching Council (NTC) and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA).

Prof. Tuurosong further demanded the scrapping of the 30 per cent priority placement system; abolishment of nuisance taxes that were hiking the cost of doing business and review of property rates and business operating permits charged by the assemblies.

He said members will support any political party that addresses the concerns of private schools.

Prof. Tuurosong said the Ministry of Education (MoE) and its agencies were “suffocating the non-state sector of education with exorbitant charges for providing services, which, in some cases, ought to be free”.

For her part, the Chairperson of the Greater Accra Region Chapter of the GNAPS, Dr Asi Aisha Akrofi, stressed the need for members to come together to advocate favourable government policies that support the establishment and operation of private schools in the country.