The Ministry of Education has stated that First-Year Senior High School students are to report to school on Monday, December 4, 2023.
The
schedule affects both students on single and double-track system, as mentioned
in the 2023/2024 academic calendar released by the Ghana Education Service
(GES).
Although
there have been concerns about the short notice just when the school placement
was released, the Ministry of Education has explained that the academic
calendar was put out several weeks before now, according to the Ministry's
spokesperson, Kwasi Kwarteng.
According
to him, that was the time parents were supposed to make adequate preparations
prior to the reopening.
“Resumption date for
students within the SHS space remains Monday, December 4, 2023. The expectation
is that students report on the first day. But let me also hasten to add that,
the first-year students who are unable to report on the first day will not automatically
lose their slots."
"Students can report the following
day or even the following week, as we have always witnessed. If you look at the
academic calendar, it had already been within the public space for some time
now and the expectation was that parents, guardians, and even students prepared
ahead of time,” he added.
Meanwhile,
the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has urged the Ministry of Education to
reconsider its decision for fresh students to report to school on December 4.
After
the minority side raised concerns about the limited time for parents and
students to prepare, the Speaker urged the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei
Adutwum, to consider the first week of January 2024 as the reopening date and
appear before Parliament on Monday to brief the house on the matter.
“The
house calls on and urges the Minister of Education to reconsider the directive
by the Ministry of Education to students and authorities, including teaching
and non-teaching staff, to resume academic work on Monday, December 4, 2023.”
“The house proposes for the consideration
of the Ministry of Education the first week of January 2023 for the resumption
of academic work in these schools. The Minister of Education is directed
thereafter to report to brief the house on Monday, December 4.”
He
asked parents and students to remain calm as efforts are being made to address
the issue.
The
house further calls on students, parents, teachers, and teaching staff to keep
calm as the house resolves the matter" he added.
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