NAGRAT Communiqué On The Introduction Of A Double Track And Semester System In SHS

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the National Association of Graduate Teachers – NAGRAT, meeting on the 26^th of July, 2018 deliberated extensively on the DOUBLE TRACK AND SEMESTER SYSTEM to be introduced in SHS this year in senior high schools and wishes to communicate as follows:

POOR CONSULTATION
National Executive Committee is dismayed that the introduction of such a major policy intervention was not discussed with teachers who will be the main implementers of it. Teachers must understand the system so as to be able to work with it effectively. While appreciating the enormous pressure on the Ministry of Education and the need to deal with a gap of 181,000 students resulting from the quantum increase in students subsequent to the free Senior High School and the removal of the Cut-Off point by government, we wish to draw governments attention to the fact that even the best thought-out plan is likely to meet unexpected shocks, hence the need for broader consultation and readiness to engage major stakeholders. Such consultative engagements rather than mere provision of information will contribute significantly to identifying various ways of confronting the challenges we are faced with.

WORK OVERLOAD OF TEACHERS
The National Executive Committee (NEC) categorically rejects attempts to force teachers to work on weekends since it is at variance with the labour law. Article 42 of the Labour law, Act 651 states that a worker shall be given a rest period of forty-eight consecutive hours in every seven days of normal working hours. We serve notice that this is not negotiable. In addition, increasing the contact period from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm is counter- productive and puts excessive pressure on the already over-burdened teacher. It must be pointed out that whether in the current system or proposed system, teachers go to school much earlier and supervise students to clean the environment and conduct morning assembly, etc. This we consider as work and must be factored into any determination of the teacher’s daily schedule. Teachers do assessment, mark scripts, counsel students and engage parents on a continual basis. This is also part of our work schedule. Finally teachers need to prepare daily for the next day’s lesson if they are to be effective. Any additional duties being pushed on teachers should take into consideration the above overload schedule of the teacher.

SACRIFICE OF ANNUAL LEAVE (VACATION)
The proposed Multi-Track System envisages that SHS Three students will run a Trimester System, while SHS Two and SHS One will be on the Semester System. A teacher who teaches across different year groups has to forfeit his vacation because as one Track of Form Ones are on holidays, the Form Two’s and Three’s will be in school. In the current school system a teacher of say, Mathematics may be teaching students in SHS One, Two and Three. This implies that some teachers will not be able to enjoy their annual leave as required by Article 20 of the Labour Act of 2003. It is clear from the proposed sample School Calendar below that as SHS Two students vacate, SHS One students will be in session. Teachers who teach across year groups will be negatively affected.

We call on the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service for a quick resolution of this anomaly

LOSS OF CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
The extension in the contact hours will make very little time available for co-curricular activities. Activities such as debates, drama, choir, cadet, athletics, football, etc. provide opportunities to develop the total personality of students. Values such as, competitiveness, fair play, team spirit, etc. are developed through co-curricular activities. The confidence and leadership skills of most of our students are better acquired through co-curricular activities. An extended teaching period as envisaged will make no time available to our students to develop their areas of interest.

FATIGUE OF BOTH STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

The extension in the daily contact hours will have negative effect on the learning abilities of students, leading to poor outcomes. Engaging students to sit for long periods simply to meet the hours required may actually reduce the level of learning due to retardation. Our observation is that, most students struggle with classroom activities after 1.00 pm. Extending the school time to 4.00pm will have negligible benefits.

NEC is not clear on the position of House Staff and other Education Support Personnel in the school and how their vacations would be managed. It looks clear that the policy did not take this critical issue into consideration.

SILENCE OF CHASS
NAGRAT is worried about the deafening silence of the Heads of Senior High Schools and their collective organization CHASS on such a critical change in the administration and management of our schools. Whereas we recognize their position as administrators we expect them to boldly come out and state their position on such critical policy intervention in education.

Looking at the above gray areas that have been identified, NEC calls on the Ministry of Education to suspend the policy intervention in its entirety.

WAY FORWARD
BROADER CONSULTATION
NAGRAT is calling for broad consultations with all major stakeholders including the Religious Bodies, Community Leaders, Teachers Unions, Representatives of Political Parties, etc. to discuss the way forward in addressing issues with regards to the Free SHS Policy and the Double Track programme. NAGRAT supports the Free SHS policy but believes, the method of implementation needs a review. We call on government, to allow parents capable of paying to pay for their wards in Senior High Schools. National Executive Committee further calls on government to support only the academic aspect of Senior High Schools and allow parents to pay for boarding if they opt to send their children to boarding schools.

REDEFINITION OF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
National Executive Committee (NEC) is convinced that the current gap in SHS stems out of two immediate issues. The first is the emphasis on grammar based secondary education. We call on the Ministry to rethink the notion that every body who starts Class One must proceed to Senior High Schools (SHS) and have a grammar type of education.

Otherwise this scene will be replayed on a grandeur scale four years from now as the free generation scramble for spaces in our universities. We must encourage and guide students to identify their areas of strength and find avenues in skills training, vocational, technical and agricultural training all funded by the government. There must be rebranding and resourcing of our Vocational and Technical Institutions. To make this workable, stakeholders such as the Ghana Education Service, TVET Secretariat, Teacher Unions and Industry, etc. should engage in advocacy to shape perceptions about TVET education in Ghana. On this score, we ask that the cut off point of aggregate 36 must be re-introduced immediately to allow those who have the capabilities to pursue grammer type Senior High education to go to SHS.

INVOLVING PRIVATE SCHOOLS
To address the issues of students who would not find space in the public schools in this critical times, government need to as a matter of urgency, bring the private schools on board. Government should discuss and negotiate with those willing to join the scheme and pay them an amount equivalent to what is paid on each student in a public SHS.

INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT
In the medium term government must pursue an aggressive infrastructural development and expansion to accommodate the increasing number of students. Government must prioritize and complete ongoing infrastructural project began by previous governments. NEC reiterates its call on government to re-examine its tax exemption policies so as to eliminate harmful tax exemptions. The estimated US $1.2 billion lost annually through harmful tax exemptions, should be redirected towards funding the Free SHS policy.

CONCLUSION
The NEC calls on all political parties and their operators to desist from making “Education Promises” on their platforms and leave Education Policies to the technocrats and professionals. The National Executive Committee wants to caution Government, Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service that an attempt to pursue this program will over burden the teacher. We will therefore have no option than advice our members to work according to their conscience.

Issued; August, 2018.