GNACOPS to sue CHRAJ over Gov’t JHS 30% SHS placement quota
The Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) has threatened to sue the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) for failing to act on its petition against the government regarding the computer placement of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates into public Senior High Schools.
GNACOPS’ decision comes after it last year petitioned CHRAJ to investigate the 30% Senior High School computer placement quota reserved for students from government Junior High Schools who partake in the BECE.
GNACOPS, along with other private education organizations in their petition, argued that the policy, which reserves 30% of admission slots in Category A SHSs for students from public basic schools, is discriminatory and unconstitutional.
At a joint press conference held at the International Press Centre in Accra on November 14, 2024, the coalition strongly demanded an equitable, merit-based computersed second cycle school placement system.
The petition further argued that the 30% reservation unfairly disadvantages private school students, many of whom excel academically but are denied fair access to top-tier SHSs solely based on the type of school they attended.
Speaking at the press conference, a member of the Coalition, Prof. Damasus Tuurosong, stated that the policy perpetuates educational inequality by penalizing private school students and undermines meritocracy, a cornerstone of Ghana’s educational system.
“Every Ghanaian child, regardless of whether they attended a public or private school, deserves equal access to Category A SHSs based on their academic performance,” Professor Damasus Tuurosong asserted.
But, a year after the petition to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Private Schools Council says it is not happy with the delays in addressing the issue by the state agency.
‘‘It was not constitutionally constituted. We concluded that it bordered on human rights, and so we petitioned CHRAJ last year and have also engaged the Sector Minister, who agrees that it must be scrapped
But one thing that is of concern to us is that, if we have petitioned CHRAJ it has to work but we have not seen any positive move from them that they have taken the matter up, so we have written to them indicating that we don’t want to believe that they have compromised their mandate to take sides with government
Else, we will take them on as well as the Ministry of Education and the GES. We are not going to budge from any form of intimidation or manipulation.” the Executive Director of GNACOPS, Enoch Kwasi Gyetuah warned.
The Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) National Executive Director fears most of the private schools in the country will run out of business soon amid the discriminatory in Senior High School computer placement.
“It’s not only the schools that are affected. The students are inclusive. These schools fill the gaps in areas where the government is unable to provide schools, and the kind of treatment they are receiving from the government with this 30% is purely discriminatory,” he noted.
