The Heads of Private Second Cycle Schools (CHOPSS) has revealed that the challenges confronting the implementation of the free Senior School Policy made some parents send their wards to private schools.
Public Relations Officer (PRO) Naphtali Kyei Baafour said at the start of the free SHS policy, several of their schools faced challenges because they were not considered by the previous administration.
According to him, some of them struggled to survive; however, when the challenges started, some parents withdrew their children from the public schools and sent them to the private schools.
He disclosed this during an interview on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5 FM with host Kwabena Agyapong.
”Due to failures in the execution of the free SHS, some parents sent their children to private schools. Some parents removed their children from public schools after the first year and sent them to private school. Our sustainability was built on the reality that when parents did not receive the quality they anticipated from public schools, they sent their children to our private schools. That’s how we were surviving. In order to survive, we also organised vacation classes for students. That is how we were able to operate our institutions.”
He asserted that parents’ expectations vary from one another;Others prefer quality over what is free. There are those who would like to experience the free policy despite the challenges. As a result, the parents’ orientations differ. Those whose expectations were not met in public schools saw private schools as a solution and chose that option. As a result, we are training and teaching the students as well. So it wasn’t all that bad.
He went on to say that private schools are better equipped than some public schools and can provide the best learning experiences for SHS students, emphasising the need for the government to include them on the list of schools under the free SHS policy.
He stated that in some areas, there are no community day schools or schools to provide learning for students, but there are private schools with the capacity to train students, so they should be considered.
He claimed that only President John Dramani Mahama gave them an audience before the elections, listened to their concerns, and promised to support them if he took office.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
