By Naa Shormei Odonkor
Koforidua, Oct. 17, GNA – Over 700 heads of Senior High Schools (SHS) has convened for the 60th anniversary of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) to examine secondary education in Ghana after more than three decades of existence.
The week-long event also brought together teachers and teacher association leaders, the Director-General of Ghana Education Service, the Eastern Regional Minister, the President of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, the Vice Chancellor of Koforidua Technical University, and other important stakeholders and dignitaries.
The attendees discussed numerous educational topics in keeping with the anniversary theme: “60 years of shaping second-cycle education in Ghana, the challenges and successes in contemporary times: The role of stakeholders.”
Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister of Education, addressed the conference, which was interwoven with a workshop, and described the subject as the wheels on which the anniversary was rotating, adding that difficulties facing the education sector were being addressed.
He mentioned the issues and frustrations of second-cycle school heads, including delays in the distribution of “perishable and recurring” money, and stated that “these were being addressed.
“I spoke with the President that some money should be sent for the recurrent expenditure. Day schools, your recurrent expenditure is coming. I promise you that I will not disappoint you,” he said.
However, he urged the heads to support the government in its efforts to increase student enrolment in second-cycle schools as they wait for their money to arrive.
”The challenge you are going through is a sacrifice to make sure that this dream becomes possible,” he said. “With your help the schools have done better than I have seen since the days of four-year secondary school.”
Professor David Kofi Essumang, Vice Chancellor of Koforidua Technical University, advocated that the myriad obstacles encountered by secondary school heads be handled strategically.
“While striving for academic excellence for second-cycle schools, the Conference needs to seek ingenious ways of addressing all challenges confronting secondary cycle education,” he stated.
He stated that over the years, head teachers and teachers have made significant sacrifices to provide quality senior high school education and urged the Ministry of Education to develop adequate incentive mechanisms to motivate teachers to further achieve accessible and quality education for all in the 21st century.
As part of the solutions to challenges confronting school leaders, National CHASS President Alhaji Yakub A.N. Abubakar emphasised the importance of providing a Code of Conduct to all SHSs, explaining that the code of conduct was an important document that guided both students and staff for effective school administration.
Despite the necessity of driving discipline, he stated that efforts to develop a code of conduct had been unsuccessful over the years, and he urged the Ghana Education Service to expedite action on producing a code of conduct without further delay.
Reverend Dr Isaac Owusu, National President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers, also expressed worry that managers and head teachers of schools have been muzzled and were being intimidated for airing their views.
He said such hostile postures had a negative consequences on teacher productivity, stating, “We cannot have tamed head teachers and school managers who are supposed to train assertive students…the era of intimidation is over.”
Article 13 of the CHASS constitution requires members to meet at least once a year to discuss the organization’s actions for the year and the way forward.
Other events for the anniversary celebration included an in-house meeting, an excursion to many tourist spots in the Eastern Region, and a dinner dance night.
GNA