NAGRAT calls on Parliament to reject proposed Free SHS Bill

The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has raised concerns about the proposed Free Senior High School Bill.

The Fee SHS Bill which is being discussed among Members of Parliament seeks to decouple Junior High School (JHS) from Primary School and make it part of Senior High School.

Thereby, creating six years of Secondary Education as well as the cancellation of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) as a precondition for gaining admission to the Senior High School.

In a statement, NAGRAT laments lack of consultation among stakeholders and Teacher Unions which they believe can jeopardise the educational system in Ghana.

“It bears noting that, NAGRAT is curious about this unfortunate development, if what we have read and heard is true. We hereby express our disappointment over the lack of any extensive stakeholder consultations and inputs on the impending supposed Free Senior High School (SHS) Bill, especially from the Teacher Unions whose Members are key in the implementation of the Free Senior High School programme.” NAGRAT said in a statement after their National Officers’ meeting held on Tuesday, July 2, 2024.

“Leadership recalls that the Teacher Unions made cogent imputs into both the Education Regulatory Bodies Act. 2020 (Act 1023) and Pre-Tertiary Education Act, 2020 (Act 1049). Therefore, NAGRAT takes exception to the effontery of the Hon. The Minister of Education has consciously assumed that the views and inputs of the stakeholders do not matter in this Bill.” The statement added.

The National Association of Graduate Teachers called on Parliament, especially the Select Committee on Education to reject the Bill due to lack of Education Stakeholders’ inputs, particularly the teacher unions.

“We hereby demand that the government, in the interest of mutual respect and acceptance of any law that will affect education, should suspend the presentation of the said bill to Parliament to allow for broad consultation. We call on Parliament, especially the Select Committee on Education, that the so-called Bill is without Education Stakeholders’ inputs, particularly the teacher unions, and therefore, should respectively, be rejected,” Part of the statement read.

Source:elvisanokyenews.com