ACEP Director Ben Boakye calls for improving education quality in Ghana’s senior high schools
Ben Boakye, Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy, has called on the Ghanaian government to focus on the quality of education in all senior high schools rather than dividing institutions into categories A, B and C. He made the statement during a discussion of problems with the student placement system for senior high schools, MyJoyOnline reports.
Quality of education instead of categories
According to Boakye, the discussion of the senior high school admission system should not be limited to the question of whether institutions belong to categories A, B or C. He stressed that all schools should be provided with the teachers, infrastructure and support needed to deliver quality education.
The ACEP head noted that the system’s problems are short-, medium- and long-term in nature. At the same time, he questioned the appropriateness of maintaining the division of schools into categories without simultaneously improving the quality of education at all levels.
Boakye acknowledged that parents and students may prefer certain schools and have an emotional connection to particular institutions. However, in his view, such preferences should not determine the priorities of state education policy.
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Equal opportunities for students
He also called for a broader approach to assessing students at the junior high school level. Boakye believes that the education system should first and foremost ensure that every child has the opportunity to attend school and develop their abilities, rather than placing excessive focus on grades.
According to him, children develop at different rates, so performance in junior high school does not necessarily determine later achievements. He advocated equal opportunities for students regardless of their early academic results.
Boakye added that most teachers in schools have higher education qualifications, but need appropriate support to work effectively. He also pointed to the importance of monitoring that would help verify whether schools’ work meets the necessary standards. The discussion is taking place amid competition for places in the most popular senior high schools under the Computerized School Selection and Placement System.
