We’ll vote for political party whose policies favour private schools – GNAPS

The National Financial Secretary and Acting Ashanti Regional Chairperson of the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS), Mr. Joseph Donkor, says the association and all its stakeholders are ready to vote massively for the political party, which commits to address the myriad of challenges presently bedeviling private schools in the country.

According to him, private schools are at a crossroads now, and their survival depends, to a large extent, on the policies that the government of the day rolls out in education.

He disclosed this on Monday, April 29, 2024, at the GNAT Hall during the launch of the “Pre-Tertiary Private Schools Manifesto,” aimed at engaging the major political parties participating in the upcoming general elections on the association’s concerns. 

Mr. Donkor illustrated that GNAPS is a ripe spinster ready to be married to and that the association is willing to partner with the political party that will scrap the 30% priority placement system in public schools.

GNAPS President Prof. Damasus Tuurosung said that the association recognised that any of the political parties participating in this year’s election is a potential winner, hence the need to invite them to get them to understand their challenges should any of them form the next government.

“Your Excellency, presidential aspirants, we recognise the fact that each of your parties or movements is a potential government in waiting. Therefore, the rationale for inviting you here this morning is for you to hearken to our cry and attend to the numerous challenges confronting the non-sector of education today, should you form the next government. For any of you to assume the seat of governance, however, you need votes. Our votes,” he stated.

Prof. Tuurosung also sought the visions of the political parties as regards education to assist the association in choosing the preferred one to support in the December polls.

“So we have also invited you here to listen keenly to your vision for private sector education. This will inform the way we advise our followers, proprietors, learners, staff, and parents to vote in the December 7 elections.”

He demanded the sitting or next government to, as a matter of urgency, do for private schools what it does for public school candidates by absorbing the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) registration fees paid by private school candidates;

He asked that the government extend the free senior high school (SHS) programme to include private school students.

Prof. Tuurosung further urged a review of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act 2020 (Act 1023) to eliminate the “exorbitant” regulatory charges by the National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NASIA), as well as the National Teaching Council (NTC), and the National Council for Curriculum Assessment (NaCCA).

He called on the government to consider low-fee private schools (LFPS) as social interventions while abolishing nuisance taxes and reviewing both property rates and business operating permits.

In addition, he charged the government to fix the economy in order to create a conducive business environment for the operation of private schools.

Almost all the major political parties invited to the launch were absent for undisclosed reasons.

Nonetheless, the leadership of GNAPS believes that their message will reach the appropriate quarters.