General News of Friday, 1 September 2017
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2017-09-01
Most students scored Grade 9 in either English Language or Mathematics
At least 36,849 junior high school students who sat this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination will not make it to senior high school, The Ghana Education Service has said.
The Service has explained the students who represent 8 percent of the total number of students who took the exam scored Grade 9 in either English Language or Mathematics.
A statement by the education regulator Friday said out of the total 460,941 registered candidates, 424,092 students qualified to be placed in the various secondary schools across the country
“During this process 267,327 candidates secured places in schools of their choices, whilst 150,770 candidates could not be placed in a school of their choice,” the statement said.
GES has given the opportunity to students who did not get their first choice of schools to choose an alternative within 48 hours.
It is not clear what the Service will do for the students who missed the placement entirely given government is waiting for the list of form one students to roll out the free SHS programme.
Under the programme, first-year students who qualified to the senior high secondary schools will not be charged admission, library, science centre, computer laboratory, examination and utilities.
The free SHS logo was launched on Thursday by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, announcing his government’s preparedness to roll out the programme in the coming weeks.
But the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) said the programme might not witness a smooth take-off as has been anticipated if some funds are not made available to schools.
Acting GNAT President, Philippa Larsen told Joy News’ Ernest Manu the Education Ministry has refused to make some funds available for the running of the schools despite repeated calls.
“You know that in this particular package as soon as the students report you have to make sure they are accommodated, [and] are made comfortable in terms of feeding so a certain percentage [say] 20 or 30 could be released,” she said.
