Logo of the Ghana National Council of Private Schools
The Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) has said that the 30% quota system on admission slots that is reserved exclusively for students who completed BECE in public schools has given public basic schools an undue advantage over private schools, overlooking the efforts of the non-state actors in the sector to provide quality education.
They added that beyond this, the 70% left is still shared among candidates from both the public and private schools, which GNACOPS said accounts for 49% of education establishments and 33% of all enrollments at the pre-tertiary level in Ghana.
Yet many of them are struggling to survive in the sector as government’s 30% quota to public schools continues to affect them, it added.
According to a 3news.com, private basic schools in Ghana contribute significantly to education by supplementing the public system, offering diverse learning environments to meet crucial educational needs, especially in most areas where access to public schools is limited.
However, for years now, most of the schools have collapsed as their enrollment continues to decrease, it added.
Recent data by the Ghana Statistical Service indicates that while some progress has been made in increasing enrolment and improving gender parity, significant gaps remain.
Ransford Gyekye, Proprietor for Supreme Care Edu Complex, one of the schools struggling to operate, said he wants the 30% quota relooked at as a matter of urgency.
‘‘This placement thing that the government gives 30%, what we call quota for the government schools, because of that, parents think that, well, then when the time comes, I should move my ward so that they also go and enjoy back in there. And it’s also having an impact on us. When you train them from stage two to six, then you see them moving towards there. So, our numbers keep dwindling. Initially, we had about 600 students, but they are reduced to about four hundred or something,” he indicated.
The Executive Director of GNACOPS, Enoch Kwesi Gyetuah, said that they petitioned CHRAJ in 2024 on the issue described as illegal, but they are not happy with the delays in addressing the issue by the state agency.
‘‘It was not constitutionally constituted. We concluded that it bordered on human rights, and so we petitioned CHRAJ last year and have also engaged the sector minister who agrees that it must be scrapped. But one thing that is of concern to us is that, if we have petitioned CHRAJ, it has to work but we have not seen any positive move from them that they have taken the matter up, so we have written to them indicating that we don’t want to believe that they have compromised their mandate to take sides with the government. Else, we will take them on as well as the Ministry of Education and the GES. We are not going to budge from any form of intimidation or manipulation”, he indicated, the report added.
Gyetuah noted that it’s not only the schools that are affected, stating that the students are inclusive.
In alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4, which seeks to ensure inclusive and equitable access to quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all, there is a growing demand for accessible quality education.
MRA/AE
Watch the latest TWI news below: