SPEECH DELIVERED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE GHANA NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS AT A NEWS CONFERENCE HELD AT THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS CENTRE ON A PETITION PRESENTED TO CHRAJ AGAINST THE 30% PRIORITY PLACEMENT SYSTEM
Distinguished Media Men and Women, Executives and members of GNAPS, GNACOPS and ISTeC-Gh, Ladies and Gentlemen, democracy thrives on rights and freedoms. When the rights of children are violated; when a section of the Ghanaian child is discriminated against, everyone must be concerned.Â
It is in furtherance of upholding the rights of private school children that we have invited you to this historic news conference. This is the first time that two friendly-foes in Ghana’s private education space, the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) and the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS), together with the Independent Schools and Teachers Council – Ghana (ISTeC-Gh), are sharing a platform to, with one united voice, call for the abolition of the obnoxious 30% Priority Placement system.Â
Ladies and Gentlemen, the 30% Priority Placement is a discriminatory government system that reserves 30% of admission slots into Category ‘A’ public SHSs exclusively for students who completed their BECE in public schools. The remaining 70% vacancies are then shared among both public and private BECE graduates. As a result, private school students—who work just as hard, achieve just as much, and are equally deserving—are placed at a severe disadvantage.Â
The system was meant to promote equity for students from disadvantaged backgrounds in public schools, based on the misguided perception that private schools are inherently better resourced or have superior facilities compared to public schools. The MoE is perhaps oblivious of the existence of many low fee private schools which are located in remote communities where no state schools exist, and which enrol children from more marginalised families than those in many public schools. To exclude students from such private schools through the 30% priority placement system is not only unjust but fails to recognize the significant roles the non-state sector plays in providing quality education to many underserved communities.Â
By prioritizing public school students for the limited spaces in top-tier SHSs, the 30% placement system undermines the principle of equal opportunity and meritocracy that should guide our educational service provision. It undermines the values of fairness and equal access that are fundamental to inclusive education. Every Ghanaian child, regardless of whether he/she attended a public or private school, deserves an equal chance of accessing public SHS’s.Â
Over the past four years, GNAPS, GNACOPS and other partners have tried unsuccessfully to dissuade the MoE and GES from implementing this discriminatory system of placement. Several meetings with various Ministers of Education have proved futile. This explains why we’re now exploring the legal rout. On 8th November, we presented a petition to CHRAJ detailing our abhorrence to the operationalization of a system that undermines private students’ rights to fair and merit-based access; a system that punishes parents for making great sacrifices to ensure that their children have quality education. Penalizing students for attending private schools contradicts the aim of providing equal educational opportunities to all.Â
Today, we are calling on policymakers to reconsider this policy and adopt a placement system based on merit to ensure fairness to all Ghanaian students, regardless of the type of school they choose to attend. We request an immediate abolition of the 30% priority placement policy in favour of a merit-based system for all students. Our petition to CHRAJ seeks justice for every student who dreams of a better future through education.Â
Celebrated media men and women, I am not an apostle of Conspiracy Theories. However, there is a theory that is fast gaining credence: that some state actors are deliberately creating an uneven playground to give public school children undue advantage over their private school counterparts. Such state actors have realised that in an even contest, the private school child always clinches the trophy. So the game plan appears to be: put hurdles in the way of the private school child to slow down his meteoric ascendancy so that the public school child can outpace him and claim the award-winning grades.
At the awards ceremony, these conspirators can then pat themselves at the back and celebrate a so-called improved public education system. The MoE has a lot of work to do to absolve itself of blame in this regard and prove to be the father who loves all his children, be they of public and private school motherhood.
Dear Media friends, permit me to elaborate on some issues regarding this year’s BECE and the attendant placement issues. When WAEC released this year’s BECE on 19th October 2024 and announced that the results of 149 schools were under investigation, little did we know that many innocent candidates from private schools will be unduly penalised. On suspicion that some candidates engaged in malpractices, their results were withheld. We believe WAEC could have done more due diligence before withholding results of some of these schools. Few examples of affected schools will suffice.
Take the case of Kandit Standard School in Bibiani and Bible School of Africa in the Upper East Region where the entire results of candidates were withheld on suspicion of malpractices, only to be released recently without any adverse findings. As I speak, the poor students of these affected schools haven’t been placed into any SHS yet. What was their crime? Their results probably looked too good for someone’s comfort. We also have some schools in Kasoa namely Royal Beam Academy, Saviour Children Foundation, His Grace Preparatory School and Thanks International School whose Science results have been withheld. The last time I checked, the candidates had been invited to appear before an investigation committee. God knows when they will be cleared to now begin searching for schools.
While we support WAEC’s attempts to rid the BECE of malpractices, we wish investigations could be carried out speedily so that innocent candidates do not suffer unduly. One can imagine the psychological stress that the students who are still awaiting WAEC’s verdict on their results or awaiting placement must be going through now, knowing that their colleagues have already reported to school.
All we ask for is fairness, equal rights and justice, an end to all forms of discrimination within our education sector.
Long live GNAPS-GNACOPS-ISTeC-Gh collaboration.
Thank you.
By Prof. Damasus Tuurosong (0244672767)
November, 14 2024