The Bishop of Western Africa Episcopal District of The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (A.M.EChurch ), Rt. Rev. Dr. Hilliard Dela Dogbe has directed the leadership of the Church across Ghana to mobilize both human and material resources within and outside the Church to organize extra classes for Senior High School Students who will be on long vacation as a result of the Double Track System starting Next Month.
Speaking at 28th Session of the mid-Ghana annual Conference ongoing in Koforidua Rt. Rev.Hilliard Dogbe, said the Free Senior High School Policy is a laudable pro-Poor policy intervention which requires all hands on deck to solve the teething challenges facing it.
He stated that the double track system comes with its own challenges the tendency of Students on long vacation to roam helter-skelter on the streets, and therefore ordered that all local congregations of A.M.E Zion Church must make available the Church building for extra classes to augment the government’s effort.
“In September those going to first year SHS will have a double track system. Students are going to spend half of the year in School and are going to spend half of the year at home. I know the devil always finds a work for ideal hands, the government is hopeful that those centers of distance learning will become center for student who will be at home to go and study but the question is, how many of these centers are in our communities.
“I’m hereby directing that each congregation should be opened to these students during the Vacation, and Pastors should ensure that we find volunteers in our Congregations and our communities to provide lessons at least a few days in a Week for these Children so that our Children will not be persuaded or tempted to go astray, ” he said.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darfuor commended the A.M.E Zion Church for the initiative to support the Free SHS Program.
According to him, the Double Track System is to enable all qualified students to have equal access to Secondary Education leaving nobody behind because of inadequate space.
Based on last year’s enrollment, the government has projected enrollment figures for 2018 to stand at 472,730 against available seats of 290, 737 leaving a gap of 181, 993.
In order to accommodate the expected number of enrollment, the government has resolved to introduce a system called double tracking which will be similar to the semester mode of learning applicable in the universities and is expected to last for seven years.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/Kojo Ansah
