President of Regentropfen College of Applied Sciences, Rev. Dr. Moses Asaah Awinongya wants the length of Senior High School education to be extended to 4 years from the current 3-year system.
Dr. Moses Asaah noted that the country’s basic education system is weak due to inadequate resources and hence, does not offer schoolchildren strong fundamentals for high academic pursuit.
As a result, most of them enter high schools with poor qualifications and the limited time at the SHS level makes it impossible to help them catch up, he argued.
Dr. Moses Asaah believes the situation is contributing to the increasing rate of unemployment in the country.
“We are getting large number of unemployment because the basis is not good. If your building foundation is not good, you can put up the most beautiful structure, it will break down and that’s my point. If I am sitting under a tree, I’m telling you, you may not get 10 percent of these ones making it because they come with a very poor basic education,” he stated.
He said while it is important that government makes the necessary investment to improve the quality of education at the basic level, it should, in the meantime, extend the length of time at the SHS level.
“Make SHS 4 years and make year 1, core subjects. You make year only core subjects; English language, Core Mathematics, Integrated Science, Social Studies and if you want, add ICT so that they all have basic knowledge in computer. Groom them and do not let them say they are doing science, arts. Coach them”.
The ReCAS College president said this as part of his call for a review of the Free SHS policy.
The policy was a major campaign promise of the New Patriotic Party prior to the 2016 polls and has since implemented after the party assumed power in 2017.
Many commended the policy but, along the line, raised concerns about its implementation with some calling for a review.
However, the government insists the implementation of the policy was on course and that it was not up for a review.
But speaking in an interview on Breakfast Today, Dr. Moses Asaah indicated the need to review the policy.
He argued that even though the policy idea is good, its implementation has been ineffective and may not yield the desired results.
Dr. Moses Asaah also cautioned against politicization of issues of education.
He believes the current challenges the country’s education is bedevilled with is due to undue politicization.
“We fail most of the time to appreciate the policy at stake and we begin to make political gimmicks and remarks and it loses its purpose. And think education should get out of this realm of politicization. So that the real issues can be tackled”.
