Child Rights International (CRI) has cautioned the government to ensure all intended reviews of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy does not change any of its core mandates, philosophy and the idea of universal reach irrespective of geographical location or status.
According to the organization, the education sector has experienced many policy changes over the past 10 years that have rendered it unstable resulting in several inconsistencies in the sector.
A statement issued by Bright Appiah, the Executive Director of CRI said they have taken notice of recent pronouncements by government officials that suggest of plans to review some social intervention policy programmes including the Free SHS.
He stated that as a child-centred organisation, its first priority is to ensure the government, policymakers and stakeholders are held accountable to the best interest of children whenever decisions are being taken on matters that have a direct or indirect impact on them.
“As stakeholders are drawn to the drawing table, we would plead by stating the cautionary tale that government must ensure that all intended reviews made in regards to the Free SHS must not change any of its core mandates, philosophy and the idea of universal reach irrespective of geographical location or status.”
“Ghanaians are not new to constant upheavals and changes within the education sector in the country.”
“In policy formulation one of the key principles is that when citizens are settled in the application of a policy, change to the policy disturbs its outcomes on the environment, teachers, students and parents,” he added.
Bright Appiah cited examples such as the 3 to 4 years and then a change from the 4 to 3 years senior high school policy, changes that happened within a span of five years.
According to him, students and parents have recently had to adjust to the double-track system, the introduction of the semester cycle and its reversal, the development of a new curriculum that has not been fully integrated into the system with complaints of lack of teaching materials to support this new curriculum.
“The changes have been many and the impact profound. There is no policy implementation without challenges, however, where the system has experienced consistency in its application, altering its core mandate becomes problematic,” he stated.
He expressed hope review of the programme will seek to address and rectify administrative issues, delaying the provision of services within the programme rather than altering the idea, philosophy and core mandate.
The aim, he said, is to see a system moulded and perfected to serve its purpose to provide free, accessible and quality education to all senior high school students within the country.
He argued to work with the best interest of children in mind is to work with the best interest of the nation in mind.
Source: Mypublisher24.com