The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, has explained why students cannot be repeated and why there is no withdrawal policy in the current Free Senior High School (SHS) system.
“You cannot repeat a student right now under the Free SHS policy because the government is providing a scholarship for that student, and it cannot be granted twice” he said.
He further explained that if a student enters Form 1, the government has already funded their education for that year.
“If that student repeats Form 1, it means the government is paying fees twice for that student, which creates a financial burden on the government,” he said in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Thursday.
Due to this, he said, the option of repeating a student is no longer available.
“There’s no pressure for students to learn since there are schools in Ghana where students simply don’t attend class, and whether they fail or not, they are automatically promoted,” Mr. Carbonu noted.
He referred to this practice as “wholesale promotion” because of the funding constraints that prevent students from being held back.
“Some head teachers have tried to request that certain students be repeated, but they’ve been unsuccessful. The question is: Where would you get the funding to pay for that student?.It is not government policy, so students are automatically promoted, with no repetition or withdrawal” he noted.
In his view, the Free SHS policy functions like a scholarship for each student.
“When a student is repeated, it means the government is paying for their education again, which goes against the government’s financial interests. This is a serious issue, and it’s something that should be addressed. Some head teachers have complained to me many times, but they feel powerless to do anything about it” he said.
Going forward, Mr. Carbonu called for a dialogue on the matter and urged government to reconsider its stance.
“When there’s a proper conversation, the government should admit that students who need to be repeated should be allowed to do so,” he concluded.
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