The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has disclosed that several first year students under the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme are being denied the required instructional hours in their schools.
President Akufo-Addo on Tuesday September 12, launched the government’s Free Senior High School in fulfillment of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) campaign promise during the 2016 December elections.
A total of over 400000 students are expected to benefit from the programme that excludes them from paying fees including admission, examination and utility fees.
But the laudable policy has its attendant challenges in the form of overcrowding, infrastructure among others which have characterized the programme.
Government has indicated it has begun in earnest addressing the key challenges that has bedeviled the implementation of the Free SHS policy.
But the Acting National President of GNAT, Philipa Larson in an interview with Kasapa News said the congestion situation in most Senior High Schools due to the large number of students who were admitted into the various schools under the government’s flagship educational policy, may impact negatively on academic work.
Because students have been over placed in schools, headmasters of the various Senior High School are having a difficult time dealing with the issue of congestions in their schools. Furthermore, in the past not all first year students report to schools immediately they’re admitted, but currently about 90% of first year students have reported to their various schools and this has led to students having to go to dining in turns because the dining halls can’t contain all of them. This development is not the best as it is affecting instructional hours spent in school which may impact on the students academic work.”