Punish these school heads
Every parent invests in the education of his or her children in anticipation of preparing them for responsible adulthood.
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That is why reports abound of parents who sell their belongings and even family heirlooms to pay for the cost of their children’s academic pursuits.
Although facilities at the second cycle and tertiary levels in the public sector are overstretched, parents are making sacrifices to seek opportunities for their children in private educational institutions.
These days, it is very difficult for students in rural public basic schools to make the grades for qualification to first-class senior high schools.
However, growing public interest in education only goes to confirm the key role of education in nation building. This is because without a well-trained human capital, no country can achieve the goal of improving the lot of its people.
We see gaps in educational financing and facilities in the urban and rural areas, in spite of the efforts by the government to address the challenges in the sector.
Once upon a time, Ghanaians did not just accord education pride of place; they also held teachers in very high esteem.
Unfortunately, today the teacher has lost that pride of place, even as the people expect them to maintain the standards or raise the bar higher.
The apparent disrespect for teachers by a section of the public can be blamed on the attitude of some teachers who regularly indulge in negative practices such as alcoholism, absenteeism and engaging in amorous relationships with their students to promote what has become known as ‘sex for grades’.
The Daily Graphic is appalled by actions by the educational authorities that tend to thwart efforts by parents and students to get the best out of the educational system.
Since this year’s West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) began, some school heads have tried to put impediments in the way of students who are said to have not settled their fees in full.
The Daily Graphic will not endorse irresponsible acts on the part of parents, as the heads require the fees to run the schools effectively and efficiently.
Despite clear directives from the Ghana Education Service (GES) to school authorities to not prevent final-year students in senior high schools from writing the WASSCE for the non-payment of fees, some school heads have decided to treat the directive with contempt.
Last week, at the Aburi Presbyterian Senior High/Technical School, some of the students were denied access to the examination hall because they had not settled their fees.
Our expectation is that the GES and the Ministry of Education will let the axe fall on school heads who have flagrantly disregarded the directive, thereby putting the future of the students in jeopardy.
It is not just enough to issue directives and look on unconcerned as headmasters decide to adopt their own rules in the conduct of the WASSCE.
The Daily Graphic understands the difficulty faced by the school heads in paying food contractors, but the situation does not lie in the option of sacrificing the future of students.
To the GES and the Ministry of Education, we remind them of the admonition contained in 1 Timothy 5:20: “Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.”
It is only when those who breach the directive are punished that it will serve as a deterrent to those who have it in their character to do wrong.
