Spio-Garbrah throws more light on the proposed SSS four-year programme.

Accra, March 19, GNA - Mr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Minister of Education on Sunday said the proposed Senior Secondary School Four-year Programme as recommended by the National Education Forum is yet to be fully accepted by Cabinet and approved for implementation by Parliament.

He said the implementation of the programme has its implications and must be critically looked at in terms of its short, medium and long-term benefits to avoid making mistakes.

Mr Spio-Garbrah told the Ghana News Agency in an interview that to his own estimation, the idea or proposal could take at least 18 to 24 months before effective implementation could take place and there is no way it could be implemented under the current budget.

He said he agrees with public sentiments for the programme but this could not be implemented immediately, as it is a principle, which needs analytical work on financial and administrative logistics.

Mr Spio-Garbrah explained that the programme calls for new or rehabilitation of infrastructure, curricular expansion, development of new textbook for the fourth grade, monitoring, inspection and evaluation to assess its full implication in order to avoid making mistakes.

"Even if the SSS four-year programme becomes operational, it is not necessary that all the SSS students must do the four-year programme as many of them have proved to be academically good to read university degree courses, hence the cancellation of the university entrance examination", he added.

The Education Minister, however, was of the view that those, who are academically slow starters and for one reason should fail their final SSS certificate examinations must be allowed to repeat to make up the fourth grade as it was proposed at the forum.

This, he believed would help to avoid the situation where SSS students are prevented from furthering their education simply because they could not pass their final examinations.