Akufo-Addo did not consult us - Council of Private Schools on school reopening

The Executive Director of Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS), Enoch Kwasi Gyetuah has described as shocking and disappointing claims by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that he consulted relevant stakeholders in a decision to reopen schools.

The president in his 16th address to the nation on measures taken to curb the spread of the Novel Coronavirus announced plans by his government to reopen schools for JHS 2 and SHS 2 students by October 5, 2020.

In his address, he intimated that he had consulted extensively with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and other stakeholders in the educational field to arrive at the decision.

He said, “…after consultation with the relevant stakeholders, for SHS 2 and JHS 2 students to return to school from 5th October to 14th December 2020 to complete their academic year…”

“The Ghana Education Service, after further consultations, has decided to postpone the remainder of the academic year for all nursery, kindergarten, primary, JHS 1 and SHS 1 students. The next academic year will resume in January 2021, with appropriate adjustments made to the curriculum, to ensure that nothing is lost from the previous year…,” President Akufo-Addo added.

But Mr Kwasi Gyetuah insists that not even one of their members was consulted in the said decision-making process.

He said the Council had developed the blue print for the reopening which copies had been distributed to respective agencies but nothing of that sort was featured yet the president claimed an extensive consultation was made.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb, Mr Kwasi Gyetuah said “it’s shocking, really really shocking…because as a major stakeholder in education, we have not been engaged…we have not been consulted so when government comes out and announce that with relevant stakeholders, who are those relevant stakeholders. If you look at the academic calendar which kind of examination are, they going to write…they should understand that the 2019/2020 academic year has been lost…,” he said.

With regards to the roles of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in this seeming miscommunication, Mr Kwasi Gyetuah said reiterated that “they did not consult anybody, it is their own pocket information that they are giving it to the government.”

Enoch Kwasi Gyetuah said as a body that contributes over 41 percent of the pre-tertiary system, their contribution would have gone a long way.