The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) says it has not been consulted on the decision by the government to reform the pre-tertiary education sector with a focus on scrapping junior high school and eliminating the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
Jacob Anaba, Vice President of NAGRAT, stated that they learned about the information through the Daily Graphic and otheredia platforms.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, said in an interview with the Daily Graphic that the bill would also propose the decoupling of junior high school (JHS) from basic school and make it part of secondary school, thereby creating six years of secondary education.
He indicated that another proposal of the bill was the cancellation of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) as a precondition for gaining admission to the secondary level. Rather, it would be used for school selection purposes.
He added that the certification for completing SHS would become the first level of formal certificate any student could obtain in the country, rather than the BECE certification, as the Education Minister further stated.
In response, Mr. Anaba stated that the importance of the law and the reforms it contained necessitated deeper stakeholder participation.
This, he argued, will allow the government to receive more input or recommendations from stakeholders in the education sector to guarantee fine-tuning.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he said that engaging the stakeholders was to ensure its effective implementation when passed.
“We heard in the media that the minister was submitting a bill to parliament proposing new education changes. It is common practice to consult with stakeholders in the education system before implementing new reforms. However, there was no contact with us on this particular bill. The minister did not inform us. When we verified with our other sister associations and stakeholders, they confirmed that the government had not consulted them on this measure.
This is not the best approach. It is important to engage stakeholders before taking a decision to introduce new reforms in the sector. There is a need for the government to consult all stakeholders on these new reforms. It is not only the Ministry that has an interest in education. We all have a stake. Parents, religious bodies, CSOs, and others have a stake in the sector. It was prudent to consult widely because if you fail to consult your stakeholders, implementation of the new reform will not be effective.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
