‘Students in private schools not better than those in government schools’
The Kumasi Metro Director of Education, Mr Alexander Atta Asante, has debunked the notion that students in private schools do better than those in government schools.
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He explained that with the provision of the needed teaching and learning materials, there was no way students in private schools could compete with those in government schools and that even under difficult conditions, teachers in government schools were doing very well.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Kumasi, Mr Atta Asante wondered why some parents were ready to provide the needs of their children in private schools and pay high school fees but refused to do same for their children who attended government schools.
He made the statement on the sidelines of the 9th graduation, Speech and Prize-Giving Day of the St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Experimental Primary School.
The event saw the graduation of more than 122 pupils, including 60 boys, from Basic Stage Six to the junior high school.
The school was established in 1937 with a few students and it has trained several prominent people who are serving the nation and the world in diverse ways. Its current student population is 600.
Right working tools
Mr Atta Asante said it was not possible for professionally trained teachers to fail “when they are given the right working tools and equipment, in addition to motivation.
He appealed to parents to give equal attention and support to their children in government schools so that they could learn well and pass their examinations and move forward on the education ladder.
He was quick to mention the well-established fact that most teachers in private schools in the country were not professionally trained and wondered how they could beat those with professional skills after undergoing training for several years and studying many things in connection with their profession.
“Yes, it is true that it is the responsibility of the government to provide the needed infrastructure, teaching and materials, but what also prevent parents from complementing government’s effort to provide all the needs of their children: school bags, supplementary books, food and school uniforms so that the children would feel all right to stay in school and study,” he said.
Enabling environment
He also urged School Management Committees and Parent-Teacher Associations to help create an enabling environment for teaching and learning by assisting in the provision of facilities that would create the right environment for students to learn in peace.
Mr Atta Asante stated that if parents and other stakeholders invested in the development of education in their areas, it would not go to waste but remain the property of the entire community so it could be used for the training and education of generations unborn.
He commended operators of private schools for their efforts to provide quality education in the country.
The Manwerehene of Asanteman, Dr Baffour Osei Brentuo Hyiaman VI, an old boy of the school, lauded the teachers for their dedication and commended the Catholic Church for its role in the provision of quality education, health and other development initiatives towards the development of the nation.
The Headmaster of St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Experimental Primary School, Mr Patrick Amoako Gyampa, appealed to well-meaning Ghanaians to help the school carry out some repair works on the school building.
He also appealed for more computers to enhance teaching and learning, saying, “the school can only boast three computers for a population more than 600 students.
He lauded the old students of the school for commencing work on a water system to deal with the water shortage problem in the school.