An Educationist and a Broadcast Journalist, Mr. Simon Agana Blessing has called on teachers and head teachers of public basic schools not to feel threatened by Advocacy groups who are raising concern over parents being asked to pay for the printing of the end of term papers of their wards.
The Education Watch Africa has raised concerns over students being charged for the printing of the end of term exam papers. Asare Kofi of the group asked teachers to stop asking students to pay for the printing of exams papers arguing that it is against the Free CompulsoryUniversal Basic Educatio(FCUBE) policy “Those Basic School Heads forcing parents to pay exam fee or exclude their wards from exam must STOP. It is against the FCUBE policy to exclude pupils from exam on financial grounds.”
Asare Kofi went further to ask parents to report any school’s authorities that prevents a student from writing the exams because they couldn’t pay.
“Anyone whose ward is prevented from writing this week’s basic school exam b’cos they owe any fee should call. Our people are on the ground.”
Mr. Simon Agana Blessing in his reaction to some of those sentiments, called on head teachers to call the bluff of such threats.
“No headteacher should feel threatened by the noise of any Advocacy group ,whose own existence is at the instance of the benevolence of donors, for asking parents to cover the cost of printing their wards exams papers.”
He argued that the FCUBE policy doesn’t mean parents should push their responsibilities to government alone.
“We are promoting too much irresponsibility in this country. The Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) doesn’t mean parents should push all their responsibilities for their wards Education on government.”
He asked such bodies to rather ask government to increase the capitation grant to fund such activities in the schools.
“Instead of accusing these teachers, let’s pray on government to increase the capitation grant to the schools and allocate a speacil amount for exams. That will solve the problem. Or at best , each district should buy a desktop and printer for each school.”
Basic schools students will sit for their end of second term exams beging today.
By: mywordfmonline.com