The Minority in Ghana’s Parliament has voiced dissatisfaction with what they perceive as inadequate stakeholder consultation on the forthcoming Free Senior High School (SHS) Bill, set to undergo Cabinet debate this week.
The bill, spearheaded by the Ministry of Education (MoE), aims to establish legal provisions for free and compulsory senior high school education, a move that could significantly reshape the country’s education system.
Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education, recently disclosed critical aspects of the bill, including integrating junior high school (JHS) into the secondary school system and extending secondary education to six years. Another significant proposal is eliminating the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) as a requirement for SHS admission and repurposing it solely for school selection purposes.
However, concerns have arisen from key stakeholders such as the education think tank Africa Education Watch, which reported that it had not been consulted on the bill’s formulation. This lack of consultation with crucial voices in the education sector underscores the need for more inclusive dialogue in shaping significant educational reforms.
In an interview with Selorm Adonoo on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, Dr Clement Apaak, Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Education Committee, she criticized the lack of broad stakeholder engagement in the bill’s development process.
“Unfortunately, such a bill has not been subjected to rigorous stakeholder consultation and inputs,” Dr. Apaak remarked. “We await the full content of the bill to assess whether it aligns with our expectations.”
The Minority’s concerns highlight the importance of inclusive dialogue in shaping significant educational reforms, underscoring the crucial need for transparency and collaborative policymaking processes. This emphasizes the importance of the public’s involvement in such critical decisions.
