'Should an alphabet determine what a good school is?' Isaac Abilla asks
The categorization of our senior high schools has always carried the idea that some schools are better than others. It determines the status of students and, sometimes, a parent’s pride.
The psychology around this, to me, is one of the key causes of the yearly tension, anxiety, and complaints we see around SHS placement.
We have a system where Category A schools are seen as better than Category B and C schools. And in many cases, they are. They have better resources, learning materials, and sometimes a stronger supply of teachers.
But that should not be the case.
A student who performed averagely at the basic level may need a stronger school even more. They may need better teachers, better facilities, teachers, and more support to help them improve.
A student in Binduri Community Senior High School should have access to the same learning facilities and basic resources as a student at Prempeh College.
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When that happens, no parent will even want to queue to change a child’s placement, because both schools will be able to provide the same value.
Our alphabets (ABCDE) should not determine the quality of education our children receive. A student's status should be determined by the category of their schools.
The differences in history and tradition of our schools can remain. But the basic standard of education should be equal for all across the country.
The goal shouldn’t necessarily be to upgrade all schools to category 'A.'. It should be to build every school to a standard where the category no longer matters.
Edem Kwame
Chief Editor
Edem Kwame is a staff journalist at GH News Media, where he covers sports, politics, news and current affairs with a sharp focus on Ghanaian and African football.
