The National Executive Director of the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS), Mr Enoch Kwasi Gyetuah says the just-released government basic schools trimester calendar for the 2022 academic year is full of mistakes.
Speaking on Onua Maakye show on Monday monitored by EducationWeb.com.gh, the Private Schools Council Director said the weeks to be spent by students in school for the various terms indicated on the calendar are not accurate.
“Per my calculations, the weeks to be spent in school for the first and second term of this academic year by students stated on the government basic schools trimester calendar is more than that,” the educationist told Captain Smart.
According to Obengfo Gyetuah, the statement released by the Ghana Education Service (GES) on the reversal of the calendar from semester to trimester was not signed and properly addressed to the general public and stakeholders.
“The letter was not addressed to anybody, the letter was not even signed, the controversial suspended semester system was not in the interest of kindergarten students in the country,” the GNACOPS Director said on Monday.
The Council’s Director following the rollback to the trimester system described the semester-based calendar released by the National school calendar committee as an insult to stakeholders in the education sector and fellow Ghanaians.
His comment comes after the Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum asked the Management of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to run a trimester system for basic schools and suspend the new semester system.
“After further consultation, the Minister for Education has directed that the calendar for kindergarten to Junior High School for the current academic year should revert to a trimester system,” the Education Minister said in a release.
The Minister in charge of Education said his outfit’s decision to suspend the 2-term academic calendar and use the trimester system follows concerns raised by a section of the public and key educational stakeholders in the country.
The spokesperson for the Council of Private Schools, Mr Samuel Nyamekye reacting to the suspension of the semester-based calendar said the move will ensure both private and public schools have a uniform school system.