An Educationist and counselor for the second cycle education Mr. Yeboah Dadzie has said that the government has not neglected Basic Education but rather more focused on its flaship program Free SHS.
Speaking to Nana Yaw Abrompah on Plan B FM’s morning show NKOSUONSEM, Mr. Yeboah Dadzie emphasized that, the concentration is everywhere but the truth is that free SHS is a flaship program which were campaigned for so the government will make sure it succeed.
“Basic Education is suffering a bit , the monies spending on free SHS is more than that of the Basic Education”
Mr. Yeboah Dadzie noted that free SHS is not entirely free so parents must be more responsible to provide for their wards basic needs to make learning easy rather than depending solely on government for the needs of their children.
“No matter how hard it is, parents must provide for their kids the basic needs in school, there are promiscuity among the youth of today and if they are being denied their basic needs”. He added
His comments was in reaction to the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has called out the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) for focusing on the implementation of the Free Senior High Secondary (Free SHS) School programme to the detriment of the development of basic education in the country.
According to GNAT, the MoE and GES seem to have forgotten that basic education is the foundation of the government’s flagship programme Free SHS.
Mr Christian Yaw Adinkrah, the Chairman of the Madina-Abokobi chapter of GNAT in the Greater Accra Region, called out the managers of the educational sector while reacting to the claims by the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Builsa South Constituency, Dr Clement Apaak, that the NPP has neglected basic education.
He explained that the 2021 to 2022 academic year’s capitation base grant and enrolment grant have not been paid.
“2022 to 2023 academic year’s capitation base grant and enrolment grants have not been paid,” he said.
He noted that it is only the first-term capitation base and enrolment grants that had been paid when the schools are on vacation.
He revealed that because of the mismanagement, some head teachers are shying away from accepting appointments as heads.
“It is not pleasant to be a head teacher or headmistress among others,” he indicated.
He added that basic schools are bedevilled by a lack of infrastructure.
He said that the humongous number of pupils at the basic education level is having a toll on teachers.
“Teachers have to mark home works for students numbering about 70 to 80 daily at the basic level,” he bemoaned.
He noted that the 15 percent budget allocations to basic schools are woefully inadequate.
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