Kennedy Osei Nyarko wants category A SHS in every district to reduce placement pressure

The Member of Parliament for Akim Swedru, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, has proposed the upgrading of at least one secondary school in each of Ghana’s 261 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to a top-tier Category A institution as part of measures to address challenges associated with the school placement system.

According to the MP, the initiative would help reduce the intense competition for places in Ghana’s most prestigious senior high schools while giving students greater access to quality education within their local districts.

Osei Nyarko proposed in a post on his official Facebook page while commenting on the challenges and concerns surrounding school placements.

He argued that each MMDA should have at least one well-resourced secondary school with quality teaching staff and facilities comparable to some of Ghana’s best-known Category A schools, including Achimota School, Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School (PRESEC), Mfantsipim School, Adisadel College, Wesley Girls’ High School and Prempeh College.

“I think it’s time for the country to at least upgrade one secondary school in each of the 261 MMDAs to a first-class Category A school with quality teaching staff to the level of Achimota, PRESEC, Mfantsipim, Adisadel, Wesley Girls, Prempeh’s etc,” he said.

The MP believes creating high-quality Category A schools across all districts could change the current pattern where large numbers of students seek placement in a relatively small number of highly recognised schools, including institutions located outside their home districts.

He said students who want Category A schools could instead have the opportunity to attend a high-quality institution within their respective districts.

“Students who want category A schools will remain in their respective Districts instead of the current approach where every student want placements at the most prestigious and recognised category A schools in other regions,” he stated.

Osei Nyarko suggested that Ghana could also consider aspects of the public-school system in the United States, where access to public schools is often linked to a student’s residential address and school district.