Veteran educationist Professor Stephen Adei has reiterated that former President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to build some 200 community schools was impractical and a waste of time.
Prof Stephen Adei said the school buildings, with a capacity to enroll 1,500 students each, is unnecessary because it would not be beneficial to these smaller towns.
“They are only useful for urban areas. All that they have put in the villages are going to be useless.The only people who benefitted from it are the contractors not Ghana’s education,” he said.
However, during his tenure as president, Mahama, justifying the need for the community Day Senior High Schools said over 184,500 students will have access to education once the project was completed.
“I’ve been asked by many people why we have built such huge edifices to house secondary schools. Each of these schools has a capacity to take 1,500 students. Currently as I speak with these e-blocks we are building 123 of them that should give you the scope of the size of the intervention that we are doing into secondary education. This probably will go on record as the single largest expansion of access of secondary education in the history of Ghana.” John Mahama said at the inauguration of the seventh Community Day Senior High School at Abease in the Pru District of Brong-Ahafo.
Meanwhile Prof Adei, in an interview on ’21 minutes with KKB’ stated that day and boarding SHS are suitable for larger communities where access to amenities are much easier.
To him, the day schools in smaller towns pose some daunting challenges including the lack of boarding facilities for students who may be posted to schools in villages as well as teachers who may be denied bungalows.
“They are useless because to transport 1,500 people you have to go about 30 km radius in order to fill them without any boarding, without any teachers’ bungalows, nothing. How can you do so?” he explained.
On the other hand, he added that although he supports the ideas of community schools, the villages needed approximately 10 smaller boarding or day Senior High Schools.
“So it was a module gone wrong but I support the idea of having community schools.” He lamented.
Source: ghanaweb.com
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You have really said my mind........ I am really surprised at the way the much respected Prof. is currently loosing his credibility due to politics. This has really been the bane of our woes...our way of thinking!!! We only think of today as Ghanaians and for that matter blacks....We build for today without considering the the future. We claim our population keeps increasing but are failing to see the benefits of these "huge" building. We will build "hen-coups" and later start crying when we out number the building in the near future. Assuming, THE EX-PRESIDENT made a mistake of building such buildings far away from cities, can't these be turned into boarding schools with the provision of boarding and other facilities to make use of these facilities........If our leaders are behaving like this, what will our future be? We live posterity to judge!!!
I think Prof. is making sense but he shd throw more light on giving suggestions than condemning. those communities can't feed the schools. it's better to convert them into boarding schools. day schools should be more in cities and towns. govt shd reduce the boarding system and bring in more day school system.
@ Felix, thumbs up for your contribution. Prof. you are the only ***barred word*** prof i have ever seen,heard and know to be breathing. your brains are really corrupt beyond repairs. the prez FSHS program cant even start without the 'uselss sch you spoke about. YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO GHANA NOW.
Somebody should go to Kasoa Ofankor and community 22, Tema to see for themselves where NDC sited these E-Block school as community day schools. If they are community day school as they claimed, it should have been sited at places that are easily accessible to the community. They are waste of resources and it does not serve the purpose it was intended for.
oh this TRAMADOL
I believe the Professor's brains are corrupt and lack wisdom. He should be the best person to applaud the great work done by H.E. John Dramani Mahama but look at the way he's talking. SHS is not necessarily to be situated within the township but rather a distant away from the town. Moreover, these schools do not automatically belong to only the town-folks but the benefit of the whole nation. If distance and accommodation is his problem, why can't he propose to advice the current president to make it a point to add such a boarding facility so that it can support his vision of the so called FSHS? I'm greatly disappointed in this Professor and I feel there's something wrong with his mental faculty. Excuse me to say, he should be my father but his way of contribution to issues of national interest is very corrupt and below the belt. I pray that he comes back to his senses to make a meaningful contribution for the benefit of this country, not for his own selfish gain. For me, this is a great initiative by the Ex President and there's the need for the current President to improve upon it.
Ooh Adei, You can't see into the future. Your a disgrace. Why are you so bankrupt in your thoughts. Anyway, your bread is being buttered. Your family would not be proud of you. Sha Sha Shaaaaame
Eno, go to Apagya in Adansi district in Ashanti region to see a big E block put out there and ask yourself how many villages are there in that area to feed this school. Also the school had been located at such a distant place and even the students who may attend the school would have to be transported in and out daily. ***barred word***.
Are you sure you are talking with your head?