The Ministry of Education has announced that first-year Senior High School students are still expected to report to school on Monday, December 4, 2023.
This schedule applies to students on both the single and double-track system, as indicated in the 2023/2024 academic calendar released by the Ghana Education Service (GES).
Despite concerns about the short notice following the release of school placements, the Ministry of Education clarified that the academic calendar had been made public several weeks prior to this announcement.
According to the Ministry’s spokesperson, Kwasi Kwarteng, this was to allow parents ample time to make necessary preparations for the reopening.
Kwarteng stated, “Resumption date for students within the SHS space remains Monday, December 4, 2023. The expectation is that students report on the first day. But let me also hasten to add that, the first-year students who are unable to report on the first day will not automatically lose their slots.”
He reassured that students could report on the following day or even the following week, as has been observed in the past. Additionally, he urged parents, guardians, and students to refer to the academic calendar and prepare ahead of time.
In response to concerns raised by the minority side, Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin called on the Ministry of Education to reconsider its decision for fresh students to report to school on December 4.
He proposed that the first week of January 2024 be considered as the reopening date and directed the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, to appear before Parliament on Monday to address the issue.
Bagbin stated, “The house calls on and urges the Minister of Education to reconsider the directive by the Ministry of Education to students and authorities, including teaching and non-teaching staff, to resume academic work on Monday, December 4, 2023.”
He also asked parents and students to remain calm as efforts are being made to resolve the matter.
The Speaker further urged students, parents, teachers, and teaching staff to remain calm as the issue is being addressed.
