Deputy Education Minister Dr Yaw Adutwum says it is impracticable to place students in private schools as an answer to the double-track system.
It has been argued variously that government should, instead of resorting to a double-track system to cater for increasing number of students in senior high schools, rather place some of the students in private SHSs.
Vice-President of IMANI, Kofi Bentil has argued this point forcefully, insisting the double-track system is a good idea.
Some heads of private senior high schools recently expressed disappointment at the government over the manner in which it has handled its free SHS policy which is the precursor to the increasing numbers necessitating the double-track system.
The heads, who are having to deal with almost empty classrooms since the programme took off, say they have been completely neglected by the government.
Speaking at the press conference in Accra recently, General Secretary of the Conference of Heads of Private Second Cycle Schools (CHOPSS), Joseph Dzamesi said before the programme was implemented, they were made to believe that their schools had a role to play, but that is not the case.
“We consider the development so far as undermining the contribution of private senior high schools in the educational sector. It is as though the government is intentionally trying to collapse all private senior high schools in the country,” he said.
Speaking on Joy FM/MultiTV’s news analysis programme, Newsfile, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Prof. George KT Oduro, said he was afraid double-track could affect the quality of education even though it appears to be an innovative system.
But responding to the recommendation, Dr Adutwum, credited with the idea, stressed that the ministry of education and the Ghana Education Service cannot assign children to schools they did not choose.
He said many students choose public schools and it is not the place of the education authorities to send them to private schools whose track-record parents have no idea about.