SHS intake increases
Some senior high schools (SHSs) in the country have increased the number of enrollment for the 2013/2014 academic year.
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This was partly due to the two batches of final-year students who completed SHS last year, thereby leaving quite an appreciable number of vacancies in the respective schools.
When the four-year programme started, some schools were provided with infrastructure such as additional classrooms and dormitories to cater for the large number of students.
When the Junior Graphic interviewed some headmasters and headmistresses of SHSs, they pointed out that fresh students admitted this academic year increased as compared to that of the previous year.
The school heads, however, said the increase in admissions was creating congestion in some classes.
Some heads said they would have admitted more students if they had the infrastructure, since the number of students who could not gain admission was large.
At PRESEC, Legon, the Headmaster, Mr Africanus Anane, said the school requested for 600 students but was forced to admit 970 students, thereby creating congestion in the classrooms.
He indicated that all Form One students within the Greater Accra Region were made day students.
Mr Anane explained that when the two batches of students who completed last year were in the school, there was so much congestion but thereafter the classrooms were decongested
He noted that currently a class should ideally be 45 students for effective teaching and learning but currently class in the school has about 60 students, has recreated congestion in the classrooms and making both students and teachers uncomfortable.
Mr Anane said the school was oversubscribed to by students, thereby creating the congestion.
The Headmistress of the Nungua SHS, Ms Kate Bannerman, said 513 fresh students were admitted this year, compared to 450 students last year.
She noted that the number of students admitted was increased in anticipation of the completion of two GETfund projects which are an 18-unit and a six-unit classroom block.
She lamented that as of now, the projects were at a standstill, thereby creating congestion in the Business and General Arts classes.
Ms Bannerman said if the projects had been completed, the school could have admitted about 650 students, instead of 513.
The Headmaster of the St Augustine’s College in Cape Coast, Mr Joseph Connel, said the school admitted 497 students in 2012 and 657 students in the 2013/2014 academic year.
He said though there was still some level of congestion, it was not as bad as it was in 2012. He said the school could still do with some facilities to help ease the situation.
The Headmistress of Osu PRESEC, Dr Mrs Shine Ofori, in an interview, said a total number of 550 fresh students gained admission, as against that of 480 admitted last year.
She said dilapidated structures in the school were renovated which enabled her to admit more students last year.
Dr Mrs Ofori said if the two classroom blocks which had been abandoned for sometime now had been completed, the school could have admitted 300 additional students.
“It was a difficult situation for me when parents who were turned away due to lack of vacancies had to weep and beg for their wards to be admitted,” she added.
Dr Mrs Ofori pointed out that the school had enough teachers to teach a lot more students.
For his part, Headmaster of Mando Secondary Technical School at Mando, Mr Alexander Bimah, said the school admitted 570 students in 2012 and 600 in the 2013 academic year.
According to him, the school is still facing accommodation challenges.
He said most of the day students were now moving in to the school to occupy the available hostel facilities which were occupied by the two batches that completed in 2012.
“This is to ensure that the students are effectively monitored,” he said.
