Forum advocates consistency in education policy

Contributors at a day’s forum held in Kumasi have called for consistency in the nation’s education policy.

They said the present situation where the direction and duration of the education system keeps changing with the coming into office of every new political administration is unhelpful and needs to end.

Education, they noted, is crucial to national progress and that is why it should be insulated from partisan politics.

The forum was organised by the Ashanti Regional Education Directorate in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Care International, an NGO.

It brought together educationists, heads of department, traditional rulers and other stakeholders to discuss ways of enhancing the quality of education.

“The improvement of education delivery in Ashanti, a prime concern of every Ghanaian”, was the theme.

The participants were particularly not happy with the reversion of the duration of the senior high school (SHS) from four to three years.

That, they said, does not allow for adequate coverage of the syllabus, thereby affecting students’ performance in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).

Mr Joseph Onyinah, the Regional Education Director, called for the strengthening of School Management Committees (SMCs) and Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) for the effective running of the schools.

Discipline must also be enforced, he added.**