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Changing to semester system needless; focus on addressing schools under trees – ATAG to GES

Headlines Changing to semester system needless; focus on addressing schools under trees – ATAG to GES
JAN 19, 2022 LISTEN

The All Teachers Allianz Ghana (ATAG) group has described as needless the decision by the Ghana Education Service (GES) to change the 2022 pre-tertiary Academic Calendar from a trimester to a semester system.

Speaking to Citi News, Mr. Albert Dadson who is ATAG General Secretary of ATAG said there are more pressing issues that need the attention of GES than adopting a semester system for primary and kindergarten pupils.

He said ATAG holds the view that interventions such as the warfare of teachers and bridging the infrastructure gaps in the education system must be prioritised instead.

“It is of no need. If you want to tackle challenges in the education sector, if you want to cause an overhauling, tackle the prevailing challenges such as teachers who are not motivated, teachers whose salary arrears are owed by the government, where we have infrastructure challenges, where students learn under trees,” Mr. Albert Dadson stressed.

According to him, if GES goes ahead with a semester system for the 2022 Academic Calendar, schools should get ready to record more absenteeism.

“We are saying that that semester is of no need because the trimester calendar has shown more effectiveness, the trimester is very good, and this semester is going to keep KG students for long. Why should a KG child who have a short attention span to stay in school for six months and even within that six months the child comes to school from 07:00am to 04:30pm. This is periodically incongruous.

“The semester programme is going to cause absenteeism. We saw it last year with the JHS,” the ATAG General Secretary added.

Meanwhile, All Teachers Allianz Ghana also wants the Ghana Education Service to as a matter of urgency provide textbooks to empower teachers to educate students of the newly introduced curriculum.

Eric Nana Yaw Kwafo
Eric Nana Yaw Kwafo

JournalistPage: EricNanaYawKwafo

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