The Early Childhood Education Association has claimed that private schools were not consulted by the government in the reopening of schools.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, President of the Association Paul Osei-Tutu expressed that “we realized that the ministry of education instituted a ten-member committee to sit down which private school association was a part of the membership to have a meeting to bring recommendations and see how best schools can be open for the President’s perusal. So we thought he was coming to talk about the aviation industry only let to know that the president decided to open all other streams come January 2021”.
Mr. Osei Tutu further indicated that the scientific justification the president gave for allowing JHS 2 and SHS 2 students to return to school, allowing kindergarten, primary, and others to return in 2021 was questionable. He added that there were no facts to prove the President’s decision.
“If they use science and data, on which science and data did they use to determine that when travelers come inside the country five years and below kids will not be tested? How is it different from our kids?”
“On which science and data did the government depend to anticipate that in January 2021, the stream should be open? So It means there is a missing link, because if it science and data, we don’t anticipate science and data”, he explained.
Speaking on the issue that the Association was advocating for reopening of schools for the benefit of income, Mr. Osei-Tutu said that “it’s not true. When somebody raises that argument I beg to differ. It is not for our personal gain, we are also thinking about people that we have employed to also safeguard the government because the government cannot employ everybody. It is not for our personal gain, nobody should say that”.
Mr. Osei-Tutu added that the private school sector does not get the needed advocacy from governmental bodies such as NAGRAT and TUTAG.
“One thing which is very disappointing to us is about the NAGRAT, TUTAG and other government units”.
“They would have given the government pressure that it is time the government opens all streams of schools but because we are a private sector, nobody is talking for us and it is pathetic”, he lamented.
The president in his 16th address to the country said that JHS 2 and SHS 2 students will return to school on Monday, October 5, 2020, to close the academic year.
He added that kindergarten, primary, and others will return in January 2021.
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