Former President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, has called for clear and enforceable national standards for schools in Ghana amid the ongoing challenges surrounding the placement of students into Senior High Schools (SHSs).
He says the recurring difficulties in the SHS placement process should prompt the country to look beyond placement and examination outcomes and pay greater attention to the conditions under which children are educated.
Speaking on Adom FM Dwaso Nsem, Mr Carbonu noted that while significant attention is often placed on SHS students, particularly when issues such as WASSCE malpractice and withheld results arise, many basic schools continue to operate under deplorable conditions.
He said visits to some basic schools reveal dilapidated buildings, broken furniture and poor sanitation facilities, raising concerns about the quality of education children can receive in such environments.
“When you go to some of the basic schools, you will be sad and ask yourself what will become of them,” he said.
Mr Carbonu questioned how pupils learning in poorly maintained schools could be expected to perform well in national examinations.
“So how can a child in such a school learn and pass an exam?” he asked.
He argued that Ghana must first establish clear standards for what constitutes an acceptable school before governments can be effectively assessed on their delivery in the education sector.
“What standards do we apply before we call a place a school? What should a school have? What should be the nature? What should be the standard of washrooms because it is terrible?” he questioned.
He also called for greater attention to facilities for girls, stressing that female students have specific needs that must be reflected in the standards for schools.
“Our girls even need something a little more special,” he said.
According to Mr Carbonu, setting clear national standards would create a measurable yardstick for assessing governments on their performance in education.
He proposed that governments should be given annual targets based on the provision, maintenance, and improvement of school infrastructure and facilities.
He said this would enable citizens to assess each government based on the facilities and learning environments it inherited, what it promised to provide and what was ultimately delivered.
“When we say a school and there is a standard, then we can take every government on in terms of what have been provided and the environment and standards available. That would be a yardstick the people will take on the government,” he said.
Mr Carbonu’s comments come as the government continues to deal with challenges associated with the placement of BECE candidates into SHSs, highlighting the need for a broader conversation about capacity, infrastructure, and the overall quality of schools across the country.
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