GNAT demands national debate on SHS duration
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has called for dispassionate national debate on the duration of the senior high school (SHS) programme.
The association insists that the duration of the programme as being run now, is not up to three years and that this is partly to be blamed for the poor performance of students in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
This was contained in a communique issued and signed by Mrs. Philipa Larsen, its acting National President, at the end of their national executive council meeting held at the Teachers’ Village in Abankro, in the Ejisu-Juaben municipality.
It indicated that the partisanship that had continued to characterize the debate of the issue had not been helpful to anybody and that it was time all stakeholders came together to discuss in a sober and rational manner, the way forward to reverse the recent disturbing trend of students failure in the WASSCE.
The association also raised concern about the delay in the release of government grants – capitation, feeding, progressively free SHS grant and the others and said that must change.
It asked that the government moved quickly to pay any outstanding grants in order not to disrupt teaching and learning in the schools.
GNAT, again, highlighted the anxiety of parents, guardians and students together with the management of schools over the delay in fixing boarding fee the 2016/2017 academic year by the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Education Ministry for the 2016/2017 academic year.
The communique urged the Fair Wages and salaries Commission, the Audit Service and the Finance Ministry to expedite action on the validation exercise to clear all outstanding arrears by the end of October, as agreed by the parties.
The teacher association appealed to Ghanaians, especially the political parties to be mindful of their actions as the nation inched closer to elections.
It advised teachers who would be engaged by the Electoral Commission to perform certain duties during the elections, to be fair, firm and conduct themselves diligently.
Source: GNA