Not one single person in this government is using their heads

Over the past week or so, there have been overwhelming public calls on the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the Ministry of Education (MoE) to postpone the reopening date for first year Senior High School (SHS) students. Some of our Members of Parliament added their voice to the public calls for the postponement.

The Speaker of Parliament appealed to the Minister of Education to consider the calls for the postponement. The Speaker of Parliament is said to have invited the Education Minister to Parliament on the matter.

In spite of the overwhelming public calls, the GES and MoE refused to change the re-opening date. This tough and unrelenting stance by the GES and MoE has been met with intense public criticisms.

One such criticism by one 'Nat G. Tetteh' reads:

"SHS placement was published on Tuesday and school resumes on Monday, December 4th. Meanwhile, vacation is on 16th December. So the kids are going to school for 12 days then back home. Not one single person in this government is using their heads. Every single sector."

As a parent, I have equally criticized the GES and MoE for their tough and unrelenting stance.

However, days after the re-opening, I'm beginning to examine whether the "tough and unpopular" stance by the GES and MoE is for the greater good and in the best interest of parents and their wards.

On the reopening day on Monday December 4, my daughter and I set off from our home in Ga West to Mamfe for enrolment. Next day Tuesday, we managed to get some of the main items on the Prospectus, and a very minimal provision for the 18 days of school before Christmas. So, we sent our daughter to school on Tuesday with the little we managed to get with our limited resources.

On Friday December 8, I travelled to Mamfe to give some more essential items to my daughter. The visit on Friday has given me reasons to reflect on the refusal by the GES and MoE to postpone the reopening date to January.

Isn't it strategically sound and prudent to use these few weeks to Christmas for enrolment and orientation of our wards, so that academic work can start in earnest come January 2024?

During my visit on Friday, was I glad that my daughter is in school doing orientation and getting acclimatized to the cold weather condition in Mamfe?

Absolutely yes!
It's no doubt that many of us are struggling financially due to the economic downturns the world over. But would postponement of the reopening date to January lessen the financial stress we'll have to go through in order to send our wards to school?

In my moment of reflection, I'm beginning to ask myself questions:

As a people, how quick are we to criticize decisions, even when we are not privy to some key factors or underlying issues that went into the making of such decisions?

Could some tough and unpopular decisions turn out to be rather good ones for us as a people, in spite of an overwhelming public outcry against such decisions?

"Not one single person in this government is using their heads."

Much as Nat G. Tetteh's criticism contains factual inaccuracies; how could an entire government be described in this manner? Has our freedom of expression become too expensive for us to afford?

We are told that the Form two students will go back to school on 8th March 2024. As contained in the Education Minister's statement to Parliament, the Form One Students will come home on 5th March to make way for the Form Two students to return to school on 8th March.

Isn't it in our best interest as parents, that the GES and MoE want our wards to have some serious academic work done from 3rd January to March 5th before they come home, as stated by the Education Minister?

If the school authorities can give considerations for parents and their wards who would wish to leave their trunks and chop boxes behind to do so, then I think parents and their wards should be happy with the decision by the GES and MoE not to disrupt the academic calendar.

Tough times call for tough decisions.
Maxwell Maundy
Author/Writer/Columnist