Dr. Clement Abass Apaak, the Member of Parliament for the Builsa South Constituency and Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Select Committee has expressed grave concern about the quality of students produced under the NPP government’s flagship educational programme; Free Senior High School (Free SHS).
According to Dr. Apaak, while the students graduating from the Senior High Schools may have excellent grades on paper, they have no proper substance.
This means that when they further their education to the tertiary level, there is an extra burden on lecturers.
To this end, tertiary institutions could soon be forced to implement a policy that would compel university entrants to sit for a common entrance exam. This would determine whether or not, they would be allowed to study at a particular university.
The lawmaker said this when he spoke on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper Show, Tuesday, June 7, 2022.
“… at the end of their study, we provide them with past exam questions and examiners’ reports. They go and then they do well and go to the universities and cannot write essays. The university lecturers are beginning to complain that the students who are coming to the universities, they are coming with good grades and yet they are not able to meet the standard. Many of them are struggling to write eassy questions.”
“I tell you that the universities are even thinking about introducing a university entrance exam. The quality of students that are coming in, on paper they are good, but when they get to the universities, it becomes a challenge for the university lecturers. It becomes a source of frustration for the students.”
“It is not their fault, the system as we have it, is what is failing our students,” he said.
Earlier, taking to his official Twitter handle, Dr. Apaak alleged that first-year senior high school students may be forced to write examinations that would not contain the usual essay or comprehension questions due to the lack of stationery.
“1st year SHS students will write their 1st-semester exams from 13th of June. Subject teachers have been told to set page/multiple-choice questions, no comprehension/essay questions due to lack of funds for stationery. It’s getting worse by the day, but will they admit the truth?” he wrote.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
