Free SHS: Prof Aryeetey outlines 5 reasons quality of Ghana's public school system is declining

Free SHS will worsen quality of education - Prof Ernest Aryeetey

The system of governance at public schools does not provide enough incentive for the schools, Prof Ernest Aryeetey

Government to encourage Public Private Partnerships to improve infrastructure at public schools, Prof Ernest Aryeetey

A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof

Read full articleErnest Aryeetey, has outlined five reasons for the decline in the quality of Ghana's public school system.

According to him, Ghana's public school system has been affected over the years even prior to the introduction of the Free SHS policy but he believes the policy has worsened the situation.

At a forum organised by policy think tank, Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), Prof Aryeetey said the Free SHS policy, which is government's flagship public education programme, needs crucial review to live up to its purpose.

Presenting findings by the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA), in his capacity as General Secretary, Prof Aryeetey revealed that the poor performance of Ghana's public school system is generally attributed to the following:

1. Inadequate investment in schools reflected by poor infrastructure, facilities and equipment;

2. Inadequate teacher preparation, often attributed to poor motivation and low morale;

3. Inadequate time spent in school;

4. Schools focus on getting students to pass examinations mainly, so no broad education and critical thinking;

5. System of governance of public schools does not provide much incentive for schools to want to excel.

Commenting on the problem with the governance of public schools, he said currently, boards of the schools have no say in the running of their schools.

"The school boards don't run the school. They don't take any important decisions. All the important decisions are taken by the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service," he said.

The forum, which is CSJ's 10th Leadership Dialogue Series, was on the topic, "Ghana's Education System: Current and Future Aspirations." To deal with the problem of inadequate investments, which he said was one of the major setbacks, Prof Aryeetey recommended that the government adopts a Public Private Partnership (PPP).

According to him, the government cannot sustain the current arrangement to build the infrastructure for the thousands of public schools across the country single-handedly.

Participants of the virtual forum included a free SHS graduate, parents, and teachers.

They all gave a critical assessment of the free SHS system and called on the government to heed to the numerous suggestions to review the policy.