The Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Clement Apaak, has confirmed that one hundred and fifty thousand (150,000) students will be channelled to private schools through the Centralised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS).
He disclosed this on the floor of Parliament on Monday, March 24, 2025.
The move, he said, forms part of efforts by the government in addressing the “obnoxious double-track system”.
According to him, 413 secondary and TVET institutions are still practising the double-track system.
“As the Minister for Education has already announced, we anticipate that about one hundred and fifty thousand students will be channelled into the private schools system. Because the private schools will be included in the CSSPS. So we believe that with the combination of strategies, in adding infrastructure and funding some of the students to the private schools, we should be able to bring normalcy to our school system.
“The previous president had indicated in the wake of heated national debts that the double-track system would be ended before the end of his first term. Mr Speaker, when he failed to fulfil that promise, he then went on to say that by the beginning of his second term, the double track system would have been ended,” Dr Apaak stated.
He stressed that the President Mahama-led administration will not disappoint Ghanaians because they voted for change.
“Consequently, the NDC government under John Dramani Mahama will bring an end to this obnoxious double-track system by a combination of strategies. One is to complete the uncompleted structures dotted on campuses of our secondary schools.
“This can be achieved because the president, who is thoughtful and understands the plights of the common Ghanaian, has done the needful by decapping GETFund. So GETFund will now be in the position to do what, by law, it is established to do. Two, we are also going to bring the private schools to participate in the delivery of the policy.” Dr Apaak added.
The National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) has also confirmed that the government has engaged them on this.
Executive Director Obenfo Nana Kwesi Gyetua disclosed that the government has engaged with that and put before its plan to incorporate private schools into the free SHS policy.
“I can confidently confirm that the new government has taken steps to incorporate private schools into the free SHS policy. The government informed us that we will be allocated 150,000 students for private schools. There are congestion issues in our various public schools, and private schools are prepared to assist the government in addressing these challenges.”
In terms of arrangement, he said, ’Before you can receive students, you should operate as a private school. The government has informed us of the amount that will be allocated for either a day or a border. So as I am speaking with you, there is a committee working on this and has been tasked to submit their report, and we are optimistic that maybe in a week, the committee will have submitted their report. But the most important point to state is that our children will be attending private schools under the free SHS policy. We are excited about this news and prepared to support the government in improving the policy.’’
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
