1st-yr SHS/TVET students’ reporting date to be reconsidered – GES

The management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) says it will consider revising the Monday, December 4, 2023, first-year second-cycle school students who sat for the 2023 edition of BECE are expected to report to school.

A spokeswoman for the Education Service, Cassandra Twum Ampofo in an interview with JoyNews said her outfit had taken note of the concerns of Pre-Tertiary Teacher Unions regarding the limited time parents had for preparations.

Citing early release of the 2023/2024 academic calendar for second-cycle institutions. She said her outfit assumed parents were prepared. Nevertheless, they would take a second look at what can be done to address the situation.

“Before the release of placement, we had already published the academic calendar so the first December for first years was already cast and so as a parent, if you knew that your child would be going to the boarding house at least you are working within that time frame. We were only waiting for the school placement to be out but in terms of preparation, we knew that they had started.

“But again once they have given us this feedback, management will look at it and whatever comes out of it will be communicated to the public,” the Public Relations Officer for the Ghana Education Service told the Accra-based media.

The revising of the reporting date comes after Parliament asked the Minister of Education, Dr Adutwum to reconsider the directive by the GES to students, teaching and non-teaching staff to begin academic work on December 4, 2023.

Parliament in a statement shared with Thisterm.com proposed for the first-year second-cycle school students to report to school on the first week of January 2024 to give parents, students and teachers time to prepare for academic work.

“The House proposes for the consideration of the Hon. Minister of Education the first week of January 2024 as a more convenient and appropriate time for parents, students, and teachers to adequately prepare for academic work,” it said.

The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon Speaker, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, following concerns raised by Members of Parliament and other stakeholders, the T has directed the Minister of Education to appear before the House for a brief.

According to the Ghana Education Service (GES) out of the 598,839 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results received from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), 585,797 BECE candidates qualified to be placed.

“A total of 477,772 (81.56%) prospective students have automatically been placed in one of their choices. This is a significant improvement compared to last year’s, with over 100,000 more students placed

However, 108,025 (18.44%) qualified candidates could not be matched with any of their choices. All such students are, therefore to do self-placement to select from available schools,” the management of the Service said in the release.