The Ghana National Council of Private Schools and the Ghana National Association of Private Schools is calling on government through its regulatory body, the ministry of education to abolish the 30% priority placement system.
To the group,the initiative by government to reserve 30% of admission slots into category A senior high schools exclusively for public schools is discriminatory.
At a press conference,Prof. Damasus Tuurosong,President of GNAPS opined that it is oblivious of the existence of many low fee private schools which are located in remote communities where no state schools exist,and which enroll children from more marginalized families than those in many public schools, to exclude students from such private schools through the 30% priority placement is unjust.
According to him,the 30% priority placement system undermines the principle of equal opportunity and meritocracy that should guide the educational service provision.t
He therefore pleaded with policy makers to reconsider the policy and adopt a placement system based on merit to ensure fairness to all Ghanaian students, regardless of the type of school they choose to attend.
Obenfo Nana K. Gyetuah,National Executive Dir,GNACOPS stated that the policy by government
continues to infringe upon the constitutional rights of Ghanaians children.
According to him, the pathway to Ghana’s top tier educational institution must be determined by merit, not by the arbitrary sanctions of school type.
Obenfo Gyetuah highlighted that the government’s obligation is enshrined in article 25. Clause 2 ensures that private school students are treated with the same legal dignity and fairness as their peers in public schools.
