Petition To The President Of The Republic Of Ghana Against The Sidelining Of The Private Senior High Schools In The Implementation Of The Free SHS Policy

You’re Excellency,
We, the National Directors of GNACOPS, petition your high office on the issue of what seems to be a sidelining of the Private Senior High Schools in the “FREE SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS POLICY” by the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service. In every society, globally, it is the prime responsibility of the government to provide educational facilities to the part of the population within the school going age. It could be recalled that provision of education in Ghana started with the private education especially that of the Mission schools during the colonial era. Since the attainment of independence and subsequently the republic status in Ghana, both the public and private educational sectors have coexisted in perfect harmony with each sector helping to shoulder its part of the educational responsibilities of Ghana.

In line with this long and healthy relationship, Private education in Ghana has been marked with excellence and has constantly contributed a great deal to the development of education in Ghanaians. There is enough evidence to show how the private schools in Ghana have really deepen their performance at the basic level education with their meagre finances. The sector strive to pay all taxes and also to generate revenue for the state. In spite of all these impediments, our records show that there are about 22,200 basic and 345 senior high schools not to mention the number of private tertiary. The sector has employed in excess of over 356,443 workers both teaching and non-teaching staff. In addition, as an industry, the private education sector also provide job opportunities for the numerous of artisans such as Carpenters, Masons, Plumbers, Tailors and Petty Traders.

Over the years there has been some misconception about the private educational sector as a profit making venture hence needing no assistance from the government. It can be said that whereas there are a few private schools which genuinely might not need any government assistance, the revenue generated by the majority of the schools are used to sustain themselves in terms of salaries , maintenance and development of infrastructure, payment of government levies and taxes , rents etc.

Agreeably, Government is to formulate and implement policies for the betterment of the people and country. Within these 61 years of independent of Ghana, there have been series of educational policies formulated, implemented, withdrawn, nullified and rectified all to the ultimate interest of the provision of quality education to the Ghanaian child. Besides, the Ministry of Education was established to provide equal and equity educational policy directions for both public and private education in Ghana.

Last year, the Ministry of Education and the Ghana education service’s mode of selection of schools and placement of BECE candidates into the various Senior High Schools in the country was totally skewed toward the public schools. This selection and placement process clearly sidelined the private schools education. We gave the Ministry, and for that matter the government the benefit of the doubt since that was the first ever time however, the event of the government absorbing the registration fees of the BECE candidates in the public school, leaving the candidates in the private schools deepened our fears and concretized our allegations of sidelining of private schools in the implementation of national educational policies by the government.

Since the introduction of FREE SHS POLICY, there have been a serious high attirations rate of enrollment in all the private senior high schools which had made some numbers of private senior schools fold up and some been totally absorbed by the government. The circumstance and the negative effects on the collapse of some private school, (and if no action is taken, more will be affected by close of this year) is not affecting only the school owners but also, creating serious unemployment in the system. Our records indicate that before the implementation of the policy the employment rate at the Private Senior High School was 12,563 for 367 Private Senior High Schools across the country. Currently, available statistics indicates that there had been a drastic reduction of employment to 2,298 represent 81.7%.

As matter of concerns, the councils had written a number of proposals, petitions, press releases, resolutions and had had a meeting with the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education service to draw their attention on the plight of the policy on private education. It is unfortunate to say that the Ministry of Education has seemingly not taken any steps to address our grievances. A situation we see as having the potential to further deepen the sidelining woes of the private schools.

We are therefore petitioning your high office with the hope that immediate actions would be taken by your office to avert the total collapse of majority of the private senior high schools. In the light of this, we are proposing the following:

1. Inclusion of Private Senior High Schools in the placement process to enable students in who select the private schools to enjoy the FREE SHS POLICY.
2. Giving equal access to candidates to choose any school of their choice be it private or public
3. Modification of 2018 schools selection guidelines to favor both public and private education sector.

Your Excellency, we wish to thank you for your cooperation, patriotism, equity and above all good democratic governance shown so far and awaits a favorable response within the shortest possible time.

Thank you.
ENOCH KWASI GYETUAH
NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
GHANA NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS (GNACOPS)

on behalf of National Directors of
GHANA NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS (GNACOPS)