On the contrary, across the length and breadth of this country schools right from the kindergarten to the senior high school level are bedeviled with infrastructural challenges – a challenge that keeps making it difficult for the academic success of those who happen to attend these schools.

Globally, access, equity and quality form the basis of every educational sector. These are defined largely by the adequacy or inadequacy of infrastructure as well as teachers. As much as governments over the years have been making some reforms  in the educational sector, there’re still schools – both in rural and urban areas,  where pupils and students learn under trees or in dilapidated classrooms and under other discouraging conditions.

These infrastructural challenges have dire consequences on the safety, contact hours and intellect of the pupils and students: school buildings collapse and fall on pupils resulting in deaths and injuries, abrupt end of class hours as a result of rains and truancy and consequently the annual abysmal performance of pupils and students at the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).

Over the years there has been a lame excuse: the government can’t do it all – a reason that sounds good but not a good sound reason. It’s lame because all the resources that must be used to develop the educational sector is vested in the hands of the state and held in trust for the people by the government, so why can’t government do all?

It’s high time that those who are voted for to manage the affairs of this country rise above this excuse and address these challenges without making any excuses because it does not exonerate them. Education is crucial to the development of every nation – it exposes peoples to the challenges that confront them and provides them with skills to find sustainable solutions to these problems. Education is a right that must not be compromised.

In fact, Municipal and District Education Offices in the rural parts of the country are also facing the challenge of poor infrastructure. Isn’t it appalling that most Municipal and District Education Offices can’t boast of computers and stationery for their day to day administrative roles? How then can we overcome the albatross of falling educational standards?

As a nation, it then becomes a tall order for us to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 “ensure inclusive and equitable, quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all”  and its target 4 (a) “build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.”

Poor infrastructure defeats the principles of access, equity and quality. For instance, if a school lacks a science laboratory students can’t understand the practicals of chemistry, physics or biology. Access, equity and quality are meaningless if schools lack facilities that promote teaching and learning – at the end of the day, it’s as if we’ve made three steps forward and nine steps backward.

The problem of poor infrastructure runs through our educational sector right from early childhood to the senior high school level. News reportage on the educational sector especially from the rural areas reports the following: pupils sitting on the bare floor, pupils learning under a tree or in dilapidated classrooms, pupils learning without the requisite teaching and learning materials – a situation that makes access, equity and quality nothing but mere words.

The situation of infrastructural challenges in schools across the length and breadth of this nation is a constant denial of the educational rights of the Ghanaian child – a denial that has become an avenue for politicians to exploit in the form of donations of learning and teaching materials to these schools. What a pity that we do this to ourselves?

There’s the need to begin a revolution of ensuring that every child goes to school – a school that government has provided with enough tables and chairs, spacious and well ventilated classrooms, standard sanitation facilities, spacious and well-furnished laboratories, spacious libraries that have all the text books and supplementary reading materials, computer laboratories furnished with computers and their accessories, a safe environment, well-motivated teachers and a balanced meal – only then can we declare that we’re pursuing accessible, equitable and quality education.

It further portrays that we understand that education is a right.

–

Alex Blege

The writer is a freelance journalist. [email protected]/[email protected]

The post SHS/JHS infrastructural challenges – a bane to equity, quality [Article] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Citi News earlier reported that, students were sitting on cement blocks due to the lack of furniture, following the increase in the number of students under the government’s Free Senior High School programme.

First to donate one hundred desks to the school was the Chief Executive Officer of McDan Shipping Dr. Daniel Mckorley, who promised to donate more after assessing the situation at the school.

The Municipal Chief Executive of the La Dade Kotopon Municipal Assembly, Gladys Mann Dedy also presented three hundred desks to the school on behalf of the Assembly.

Finally, the Ghana Education Service (GES) presented one hundred desks as part of their contribution to resolving the desks deficit in the school.

This brings to a total of five hundred desks donated to the school within a space of two weeks, after Citi News’ exposé on the desks situation at the school.

The immediate past headmaster of the school, Mr. Samuel Salamat in an earlier interview with Citi News, said the school needed about five hundred desks.

“When we conducted the furniture audit, we had only ninety-four set of furniture, as against six-hundred and seven first-year students that were posted to the school.

The students and members of the staff of the La Presby Senior High School expressed their gratitude to government for listening to their plea and coming to their aid

The assistant boy’s perfect, Theophelos Annan, also expressed appreciation to both government and McDan Shipping for their assistance.

Listen to the full report below:

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By: Anass S. Seidu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post La PRESEC desk problem solved after Citi FM reports [Audio] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Former headmaster of La Presbyterian Senior High School, Samuel Salamat, who made the claim said he has undertaken a similar research which proves that fact.

Mr. Salamat has himself suffered from such action after he was transferred from the La PRESEC SHS for making an appeal to parents of beneficiaries of the free SHS policy, to pay GHc80 for the procurement of plastic chairs for their wards since the school lacked such facilities.

[contextly_sidebar id=”N2PHyxrZhYPzv61lXhOm5XnbwFvc80MQ”]But his action, which according to Mr. Salamat was borne out of genuine concern, incurred the wrath of government, because the move was allegedly seen as a sabotage of the free SHS programme.

Speaking for the first time after his transfer, Mr. Salamat said on the Citi Breakfast Show that such unfair action by government will create a culture of silence where headteachers will be scared to voice out their concerns and will adversely affect the laudable policy.

“If these things should go on, people will not be free to come out with their challenges and it will affect the quality of the very good free SHS programme. In 1987, when the Rawlings administration introduced the JHS and SHS system, because it was characterized by fear and intimidation, at the end, the result in 1993 was the worst to have happened in this country.  I don’t want to talk about the results, if I start giving out the details, I will frighten the whole country. I have done a study, but I will not put it out there,” he said.

Mr. Salamat further advised government to be tolerant of concerns raised about the policy and tackle the challenges for the good of the country.

“…I expect the implementers of the free SHS to be circumspect, tolerant, prepared to listen and be prepared to engage people rather than intimidation, threat of dismissal, threat of transfer –those things will not help,” the former headmaster added.

18 headmasters interdicted for misconduct

About 18 headmasters of various second cycle institutions in Ghana were interdicted during the initial stages of the implementation of the free SHS policy in September 2017, for supposedly charging unapproved fees.

The Free SHS policy which took off in September, covered only first year students with over 400,000 students benefiting.

There was a lot of pressure on the second cycle institutions, as most schools were made to admit students beyond their capacities.

Reports suggest that, the situation forced some head teachers to improvise by seeking to charge some fees, although everything was supposed to be free.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Free SHS will suffer if headteachers are victimized – Salamat appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Prior to the implementation of the free SHS policy, government set up a 22-member committee in March 2017, to make recommendations on the way forward for the programme.

“I have done a lot of work for the Ministry of Education, I haven’t taken a pesewa, they are aware. This free SHS [policy] I was on two committees – I attended all the meetings and made valuable contributions, but I did not take a pesewa and I will not take a pesewa. But anyway I will take it like that,” he said.

[contextly_sidebar id=”4TckHfTgHyBi30udIcLF4xCaXb45ml5x”]Mr. Salamat made this revelation following his transfer which he considers unfair.

He was transferred from LA Presec as Headmater for making an appeal to parents of beneficiaries of the free SHS policy to pay GHc80 for the procurement of plastic chairs for their wards since the school lacked such facilities.

But his action incurred the wrath of the government, because the move was allegedly seen as a sabotage of the policy.

Speaking for the first time after his transfer on the Citi Breakfast Show today (Thursday), Mr. Salamat said his transfer was unfortunate because government did not seek his side of the story in spite of his relationship with them.

“It is unfortunate that in spite of the relationship I have with the Ministry of Education, they could not invite me and find my side of the story. I feel very hurt, very hurt.”

Mr. Salamat also believes his transfer was engineered by his haters who are occupying some vantage positions in government.

“I believe that somebody over there is using the official means to settle a score with me and the person can go on. The person knows himself or herself. The person can go on because I am very surprised about the turn of events,” he added.

Citi News gathered that Mr. Salamat, was transferred to the Curriculum Research of Development Division (CRDD) at the Headquarters of the Ghana Education Service (G.E.S) in Accra from La PRESEC last week.

Initial reports said the transfer was because he had opened up to the media about the challenges of the school.

However, the Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, said that the transfer was because he charged parents “illegal fees” contrary to government’s instruction.

“If you are charging fees you want parents to pay, of course not, it’s not approved. We’ve given you resources and you have development levy which is contributions that were supposed to be made by parents. If you need anything, you can use part of the development levy to do that. Why do you have to go to the parents and ask them to pay something that the government has already paid? Nobody condones any behaviour or whatsoever that will punish any headmaster for talking to the media,” he added.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post I wasn’t paid a pesewa for services on free SHS c’ttee – Salamat appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the Ministry the decision was taken not because Mr. Salamat spoke to the media, but for charging unapproved fees under the government’s free Senior High School education policy.

Mr. Salamat has been transferred to the head office of the Ghana Education Service.

The school was recently in the news for allegedly levying fresh students about GHs 80, to purchase plastic chairs to be used due to the poor state of the existing ones.

Citi News’ visit to the school few weeks after the earlier report, saw the first year students sitting on cement blocks and wooden planks.

[contextly_sidebar id=”nZk0E0TIGk3jZQLLPsxOy50GIMTljMK1″]Mr. Slamat was interdicted over the issue, and subsequently transferred to the Ghana Education Service head office in Accra.

Earlier reports suggested that Mr. Salamat was transferred because his action was seen as sabotage of government’s much hyped free SHS education policy and for speaking to the media.

But speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday, a Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum explained that, the La Presec headmaster “was transferred based on what he did and not speaking to the media.”

“If you are charging fees you want parents to pay, of course not, it’s not approved. We’ve given you resources and you have development levy which is contributions that were supposed to be made by parents. If you need anything, you can use part of the development levy to do that. Why do you have to go to the parents and ask them to pay something that the government has already paid? Nobody condones any behaviour or whatsoever that will punish any headmaster for talking to the media,” he added.

McDan CEO to rescue La Presby students

The Cheif Executive Officer of McDan Shipping, Daniel Makorley, put smiles on the faces of students of the school after he donated 100 desks to them.

According to McDan Shipping, the delivery was part of the first batch of the entire package promised the school.

–

By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post La PRESEC head transferred for charging ‘illegal’ fees – Deputy Minister appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Mr. Salamat has been transferred to the head office of the Ghana Education Service for asking parents to pay GHc80 to procure plastic chairs for first year students, who had benefited from government’s free Senior High School education policy.

[contextly_sidebar id=”1Aq3pA0T36HK04f8Gyf57zu93gSMzdiO”]Earlier reports suggested that, he was transferred because his action was seen as sabotage of government’s much-hyped free SHS education policy, and for speaking to the media about the school’s challenges.

But clarifying the issue on the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday, a Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum explained that Mr. Salamat was transferred not because he spoke to the media.

He said, “If you are charging fees you want parents to pay, of course not, it’s not approved. We’ve given you resources and you have development levy which is contributions that were supposed to be made by parents. If you need anything, you can use part of the development levy to do that. Why do you have to go to the parents and ask them to pay something that the government has already paid? Nobody condones any behaviour or whatsoever that will punish any headmaster for talking to the media,” he added.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, the incoming President of NAGRAT, Angel Carbonu, argued that such transfers will make headteachers numb.

“What is going to happen is that, a lot of head teachers will be numbed and they will sit on the fence. They will not talk to anyone, they will not expose their problems and challenges to anyone, they will not get help, and at the end of the day, it is our boys and girls whom we have sent to school that will be suffering. If Mr. Salamat has been transferred because of the exposé at La PRESEC we are very unhappy about that, and want that transfer reversed,” Mr. Carbonu said.

Mr. Salamat had earlier been interdicted together with 18 other headmasters of second cycle schools nationwide for charging unapproved fees during the initial stages of the free SHS policy in September 2017.

Mr. Carbonu said such actions are not good for the running of government owned educational institutions the country.

“You will realize that because of the announcement that 19 head teachers have been interdicted, all heads of schools, I can assure you, have gone into the state of comatose…and that when you go there to find out about normal issues, they would not want to talk else they are transferred or victimized. If we push education to that level, we are all going to suffer for it,” he added.

Plight of La PRESEC students

The La PRESEC school was recently in the news for allegedly levying fresh students about GHs 80 to purchase plastic chairs to be used by the students due to the deplorable state of the existing ones.

The action generated public criticism with many accusing the headmaster, Samuel Salamat, of sabotaging the government’s Free SHS policy, but when Citi News visited the school, the situation was indeed dire.

Students spent the day seated on cement blocks and wooden boards due to the non-existence of desks in the school.

The situation, which was highlighted by the Citi News’ Anass Seidu attracted the CEO of McDan Shipping Company, Daniel Makorley, to donate 100 desks as a first tranche of donations to improve the school’s learning infrastructure.

–

By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Reverse La PRESEC headmaster’s transfer – NAGRAT appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The headmaster of the school, Samuel Salamat, is said to have been transferred to the Curriculum Research of Development Division (CRDD) at the Headquarters of the Ghana Education Service (G.E.S) in Accra.

[contextly_sidebar id=”BFgSB04x24E6MtrIF6BvxyznFfdqPGDA”]The transfer, an apparent punishment to Mr. Salamat, followed a stern warning issued to him by the Ministry of Education not to reveal challenges the school was being confronted with to the media.

Citi News in September 2017, reported that effective teaching and learning was being hampered at the La Presby Senior High School, as beneficiaries of government’s Free Senior High School program were forced to study in uncompleted buildings without marker boards and desks.

Students spent the day seated on cement blocks and wooden boards, due to the absence of desks in the school.

The situation, which was highlighted by the Citi News’ Anass Seidu attracted the CEO of McDan Shipping Company, Daniel Makorley, to donate 100 desks as a first tranche of donations to improve the school’s  infrastructure.

Ahead of the donation, the headmaster of the school lamented that the donation was going to see him being reprimanded by the Ministry.

GH¢80 levy

The school was recently in the news for allegedly levying fresh students about GHs 80, to purchase plastic chairs to be used by the students due to the deplorable state of the existing ones.

The action generated public criticism with many accusing the headmaster, Samuel Salamat, of sabotaging the government’s Free SHS policy, but when Citi News visited the school on Monday morning, the situation was indeed dire.

The Headmaster, Samuel Salamat, was subsequently invited by Ministry of Education to explain circumstances that led to him demanding the levy from parents.

He however continued to serve as the Headmaster of the school until he was transferred for allowing the media to cover issues in the school.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post GES ‘removes’ La PRESEC headmaster appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The school had already made headlines when its headteacher, who was subsequently interdicted by the Ghana Education Service, said first-year students had to pay GHc 80 for desks or risk standing during classes.

The students may not be standing for classes, but a Citi News reporter managed to gain access to the classrooms in the school, and the sight that greeted him resembled conditions one would associate with primary schools-under-trees in some of the most deprived areas of the country.

Some of the students were sitting on makeshift chairs comprising wooden planks supported by cement blocks. The lucky ones had tables, as others were seen with their books on their thighs and bags on the dusty floor.

The students in the school are already contending with studying in uncompleted buildings without marker boards.

The United Nations, in its assessment of the progress of Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals, dealing with achieving inclusive and equitable quality education for all, noted that equity issues constituted a major challenge in education, and that in all countries with data, children from the richest 20 percent of households achieved greater proficiency in reading at the end of their primary and lower secondary education, than children from the poorest 20 percent of households.

The lack of trained teachers and the poor condition of schools in many parts of the world are jeopardizing prospects for quality education for all, the UN also noted.

The La PRESEC school’s headmaster, Samuel Salamat, was accused of sabotaging the Free SHS policy, and the news of his interdiction was welcomed by some sections of the public.

But his decision to request additional fees was defended by some, with the incoming President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, calling the GES’s sanctioning of some headteachers for allegedly charging illegal fees inconsiderate.

Mr. Carbonu noted that, the infrastructure constraints in those schools may have forced the sanctioned teachers to make these charges, ultimately in the interest of their students.

In September, aside from Mr. Salaamat, two head teachers were demoted and seven others were interdicted after they were invited for questioning by the GES to respond to allegations that they were requesting fees already absorbed by the government under its free SHS policy.

Mr. Salamat, in an earlier interview with Citi News, clarified that the supposed GHc 80 levy was voluntary.

“We have only appealed to parents that we have challenges with furniture so if they can help us repair our furniture so that we can start classes as early as possible. They cannot bring furniture from the house. We are telling them to make voluntary contributions so that we can use that to repair the furniture. It is voluntary, any amount that you can get… It is not a fixed amount. We only gave them the information that last year, parents paid GHc 80 to guide them.”

“If the person is unable to pay, we will still admit them… [But] if the chairs are not there, what can we do? A lot of my furniture is broken down. I have not taken stock to find out the furniture that is available. A lot of my tables and chairs are broken down and I can foresee that we will need more,” he said.

Find below a full report from La PRESEC classrooms:

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By: Anas Seidu & Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Free SHS: La Presby students study on cement blocks appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The school has recently been in the news for allegedly levying fresh students some amount of money to purchase plastic chairs to be used by the students due to the deplorable state of the existing ones.

The action generated public criticism with many accusing the headmaster, Samuel Salamat, of sabotaging the government’s Free SHS policy, but when Citi News visited the school on Monday morning, the situation was indeed dire.

At the first-year’s block, about nine classes were without marker boards, teachers therefore improvised, using verbal explanations.

Although school authorities declined to speak about the situation, some students who spoke to Citi News expressed their dissatisfaction and called on authorities to come to their aid.

“So as students when we came, we were expecting to see some blackboards, so that at least when there is no teacher we can try our best to learn… but when we came here, there are no desks, no blackboard, and we are just roaming about like we don’t have anything to do. We feel uncomfortable” one student said.

There were very few desks in good shape in use by students, and desks meant for one student was being shared by two students, Citi News‘ Anass Seidu observed.

One of the students commended the teachers for their efforts despite the difficulty.

He said “the teachers are putting up their best efforts to help us learn, but when it comes to the desk and the school structure, it’s very bad. When people come to the school they think it’s a village.”

The Headmaster of the school, Samuel Salamat, was last week accused of levying all new students GHs 80 threatening that those who refused to pay the money intended for the purchase of plastic chairs would be forced to stand in class.

He was subsequently interdicted by the Ghana Education Service (GES) for charging illegal fees. He failed to turn up for a meeting with the government on the matter.

The GES Director-General, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, said his outfit was still conducting investigations into the allegations against Mr Salamat.

Mr. Salamat in an earlier interview with Citi News clarified that the supposed GHs 80 levy was voluntary.

“We have only appealed to parents that we have challenges with furniture so if they can help us repair our furniture so that we can start classes as early as possible. They cannot bring furniture from the house. We are telling them to make voluntary contributions so that we can use that to repair the furniture. It is voluntary, any amount that you can get… It is not a fixed amount. We only gave them the information that last year, parents paid GH80 to guide them.”

“If the person is unable to pay, we will still admit them… [But] if the chairs are not there, what can we do? A lot of my furniture is broken down. I have not taken stock to find out the furniture that is available. A lot of my tables and chairs are broken down and I can foresee that we will need more,” he said.

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By: Anass Seidu & Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post La Presby SHS: Students study in uncompleted buildings without boards appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

He was among the head teachers summoned by the GES for allegedly charging illegal fees under the Free SHS policy.

[contextly_sidebar id=”bRpeI1xXuG5OPr4YO6dcZ7UgxImmyaEG”]Mr. Salamat, however, refused to attend the invitation to meet with the GES Director-General, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa.

The GES, without any specifics, said it was still conducting investigations into the allegations against Mr. Salamat.

First-year students who reported to the La Presbyterian School on Wednesday to complete their registration were reportedly urged to pay a GH¢80 for desks, causing some confusion at the school’s premises.

Mr. Salamat justified the fee saying the school was only asking for voluntary contributions due to the poor state of its desks.

“We have only appealed to parents that we have challenges with furniture so if they can help us repair our furniture so that we can start classes as early as possible. They cannot bring furniture from the house. We are telling them to make voluntary contributions so that we can use that to repair the furniture. It is voluntary, any amount that you can get… It is not a fixed amount. We only gave them the information that last year, parents paid GH80 to guide them.”

“If the person is unable to pay, we will still admit them… [But] if the chairs are not there, what can we do? A lot of my furniture is broken down. I have not taken stock to find out the furniture that is available. A lot of my tables and chairs are broken down and I can foresee that we will need more.”

Two heads sacked

The GES has also relieved two head teachers of their post and interdicted six others, pending investigations, for allegedly charging illegal fees under the free SHS policy.

“After our deliberations with them, we realized that they had infractions against the implementation guidelines [for the free SHS] that had been given to them,” the GES’ Director General, Professor Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa said at a press conference on Thursday.

Free SHS implementation challenges

The Free SHS policy which took off this month with only first year students is benefiting at least over 400,000.

As a result of the policy, the number of students entering has put pressure on facilities in most of the schools, with some having challenges in accommodating the huge numbers.

It appears this situation has forced some head teachers to improvise by seeking to charge some fees although everything is supposed to be free.

The policy is projected to cost the country $100 million, an equivalent of ¢400 million for the first term of the first year.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post La PRESEC head interdicted over illegal fees after ‘swerving’ GES appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.