A former Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) Charles Aheto Tsegah, says the proposed “multi-track calendar system of admitting Senior High School students due to the lack of space will not work.
According to Professor Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, an educationist and a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Education Winneba, who made the proposal, the multi-track system means that the number of prospective students would be enrolled within two separate entries.
[contextly_sidebar id=”Fk7Osf3fTKe2kSytX7ZEWFxUUKAxXaa9″]He said for this to be possible, the three-term academic calendar system for Senior High Schools could be reduced to two semesters just like in the universities.
But Charles Aheto Tsegah says the multi-track system had been tried at the Junior High School level but did not succeed.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, he said the proposal would affect the educational system adversely.
“This multi-track system had been tried many years ago, we tried it long ago for basic education, we went to school morning and afternoon, that is multi-track system and that did not work for us. It did not help us, it created a lot of problems in terms of allowing space for children to be truants, so for me that won’t work,” he said.
He added that the ideas suggested by the professor which includes, having two semesters, doubling the number of teachers and continuous teaching during vacation, are ideal but not realistic because the Ghanaian educational system has not been structured to accommodate the proposed multi-track system.
Anamuah-Mensah clarifies his idea
Throwing more light on his “multi-track calendar system,” Prof. Anamuah-Mensah clarified that assuming 1,500 students are to be enrolled at the SHS level, the number could be divided into two, for instance, 750 by 750 and absorbed in batches.
“So the 750, instead of having 1,500 students in a class now you have 750. This is 750 in track one. Then on the other track, you will have 750. So you are reducing the class sizes, you are also ensuring equity and inclusion of all those who qualify to go to school are in school.”
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By: Farida Yusif/citinewsroom.com/Ghana