Mr. Samuel Afriyie, the Ashanti Regional Coordinator of the Parents and Teachers Association (P.T.A), has condemned the habit of some P.T.A meetings being transformed into a money-giving association. He emphasized that P.T.A. meetings are not an organization, but rather a partnership between parents and school administration in the community. He further stated that the meeting is apolitical and non-religious in nature. Mr. Afriyie went on to say that the scenario in which children are compelled to suffer because of PTA dues is illegal and must end, and he has urged schools to stop such practices.
Mr. Afiryie stated during the Ahafo Ano North Municipal PTA meeting in Tepa, Ashanti Region, on the theme "Educational Reforms in Ghana and the Significant Impact on the Ghanaian Child," that the PTA has now been integrated into the educational system. He emphasized that under this framework, both the government and the parents have roles to play.
He stated that one of the roles parents can play is to be interested in the activities of the school by establishing a good learning environment. He emphasized once more that promoting a pleasant and healthy learning environment is a shared responsibility that should not be put alone in the hands of school administration but should involve all stakeholders.
Commenting on the subject, Mrs. Grace Oppong Agyapong, the Ahafo Ano North Municipal Director of Education, indicated that all educational reforms, including the current one, were implemented to improve the educational system. Mrs. Agyapong stated that the new educational reforms have made formal education accessible to all Ghanaians of school-going age, regardless of gender, political, cultural, or socioeconomic background of the child, in recounting the various reforms that the educational sector has gone through since independence.
She stated that, under the current changes, the Senior High School Placement Examination has taken the position of the West Africa Examination Council's Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) (WAEC).
According to the Education Director, the new reforms recognize the basic school from Primary School to Senior High School (SHS). All students in SHS form 1 (B10) would take shared core courses. Students in form 2 (B11) would be able to choose their electives. It includes provisions for critical thinking and problem solving, communication and collaboration, creativity and innovation, and cultural identity. Mrs. Agyapong indicated once more that SHS graduates will be issued diploma certificates rather than the current West Africa Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination. (WASSCE).
Furthermore, the Director claimed that the new reforms prioritized Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). In her closing remarks, the Ahafo Ano North Municipal Director of Education urged the community to take ownership of the school and take on the responsibility of assisting Ghanaian children to succeed in life.
Mr. Jerry Hagan, Director of Social Welfare and Community Development, read a message on behalf of Municipal Chief Executive Martina Appiah Nyantakyi, emphasizing the government's commitment to ensuring that every Ghanaian kid of school-going age has access to quality education.
The MCE stated that the government has accomplished this through implementing the Free SHS policy and decentralizing the scholarship scheme. She remarked that the government's actions have had a good influence on Ghanaian children. Ms Appiah stated that the current educational changes are focused at problem-solving, with the long-term effect of producing labor for industry. Another purpose of the reforms she mentioned is to prepare children for the future. PTA chairmen from all of the Municipality's public schools attended the meeting that day. Contributors expressed their enthusiasm for the new change and congratulated the administration in an open forum.
