Preparation towards schools reopening -GNACOPS

As part of following the basic protocols in sustaining and containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ghana National Council of private schools with management support of P2S GHANA LIMITED has sourced best quality infrared thermometers to help all institutions at their various offices across the country at a reduced cost.

The infrared thermometer is used to measure the temperature of human body without touching human body. -it provides accurate measurement of body temperature and very convienient as compared to the traditional mercury thermometer. -They are compact, lightweight, and easy to use -it is also fast and provides accurate temperature readings easy to read and very hygienic NOTE: temperature measurements should be taken from a distance and avoid close contact COST: comes at a cost of GHC395.00 Kindly use this link (www.gnacopsgh.com/shop) to make your order Nationwide distribution starts from Monday 8th June, 2020. At all GNACOPS REGIONAL OFFICES AND NATIONAL SECRETARIAT AT ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION. Thank you. Let's fight this COVID 19 VIRUS TOGETHER WITH DETERMINATION AND PRAYERS.

STIMULUS PACKAGE APPLICATION UPDATE AND HOW TO SEARCH YOUR SCHOOL(https://gnacopsgh.com/stimulus-package)

Private Schools that applied the government's support packages through GNACOPS can use this link("https://gnacopsgh.com/stimulus-package")with TIN/RGD NUMBERS to search for the school details, if that school is captured by the GNACOPS. by ESTHER QUIST WOOD DIRECTOR FOR ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE GHANA NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS -GNACOPS Thank You

MEASURES TAKEN TO SECURE STIMULUS PACKAGES FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS BY GNACOPS

The Ghana National Council of Private Schools -GNACOPS has released a list of schools who applied for stimulus-package through Gnacops. The Director of International Relations/Business Corporation of the Council Mr. Steve Revss confirmed that, as part of measures taken to present credible information of schools to the State and other international donor organisations which he is currently negotiating with, the council has engaged the services of state agencies to verify any and every bit of information various schools have sent to the private schools' council. "We have received over 6,000 applications from schools whose desire is to access part of the Government's stimulus package/financial support and it is within our mandate to probe further to ascertain the authenticity of provided information presented to the Council so that Government will be in good position to approve every school that meets the requirements of a school in good standing". Mr. Steve Revss emphasized that, government is ready to support schools in this trying times but there is a need also, to position ourselves as recognised private educational institutions and reliable stakeholders in order to benefit from the national cake. In addition he said that the released list covers those who have successfully submitted their information through the council's portal and have been filtered through government Agencies such as the Ghana Revenue Authority (Tin Numbers authenticated) Register General's Department (Company Registration Details), Location (with realtime GPS), Bank Details and have stated the total amount needed as loan or grant. He assured the private schools and Government that since the NBSSI has opened their doors for companies to apply for part of the 600 million government stimulus package, the council has also put in more pragmatic measures by meticulously verifying all submitted information at their disposal to ensure that the collective data that would be submitted finally to the Government through the NBSSI would be correct and without blemish. Making reference to the council's dealings with the council's external parners, donors and International Agencies, he said they are also ready to come to the aid of private schools. Mr Revss disclosed that there are ongoing discussions with many of these organisations. Negotiations are far advanced and the c Council is confident and quite hopeful that sufficient financial grants would be brought in to ease the burden of private schools. The Director of International Relations/Business Cooperation of GNACOPS advised the entire private school stakeholders to frequently use the portal(www.gnacopsgh.com/register) created for them to reach out to the Council and also inform all those who have not yet filled and submitted their information to do so immediately to avoid being late and subsequently disqualified.

Thank you.

TRANSFORMING PRIVATE SCHOOL EDUCATION IN GHANA THROUGH VIRTUAL EDUCATION. “THE COVID-19 EXPERIENCE" .NATIONAL TRAINING OFFICER FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS COUNCIL TO THE EDUCATION SECTOR

TRANSFORMING PRIVATE SCHOOL EDUCATION IN GHANA THROUGH VIRTUAL EDUCATION. “THE COVID-19 EXPERIENCE" .NATIONAL TRAINING OFFICER FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS COUNCIL TO THE EDUCATION SECTOR. Education, especially formal education has over the years under gone a series of transformation to suit the demands of the recipient society. The basic principles the 20th century education emphasises the compliance and conformity over creativity, a skill that is necessary in a professional or corporate environment and to ensure constant job opportunities. The strict implementation of compliance and conformity are now gradually losing it essence but they are still key values in many schools in Ghana, informing policy even when it is not being expressly promoting students. As a result, children, talented in other areas rarely have the opportunity to discover and nurture their talents. Children with broader interests are discouraged rather than being rewarded. This system of allowing all the learners to go through a formal laid down rule in learning, results in a population with similar skill in a narrow spectrum of talents, especially in today’s society, where innovation and creativity are the mainstay of development. Unfortunately, even though the demands of the job market, in terms of skills and knowledge has changed immensely. Most private schools continue to engage their learners, using same educational strategies which were relevant in the 20th century. These include the use of a standardised curriculum rendered through rote learning and standardised testing. This system of education generates a situation where most of the learners are struggling to learn because they are disengaged from their inherent abilities and are not motivated due to the non-practical nature of the teaching and learning process. Lord Tennyson was emphatic on how the Old order should change to yield place to the new order. We should not lose sight of the fact that systems and strategies for doing things are demand driven and time bound. What was the most preferred choice of achieving excellence yesterday, might be irrelevant to the same course tomorrow. The system of education that produced the intellectuals who changed Ghana and the world in the 1960s and the 1970s might not be relevant to the up and coming generation in their quest to achieve relevant skills and competencies needed to make them a meaningful part of tomorrow’s society of intellectuals.

In this times of educational transformation, especially in the light of the 21st century job market, private schools should start thinking about how to evolve their strategies of teaching and learning form to the initially accepted forms to a more formidable ways that will help to unearth and nurture the talents in the children. ‘Change starts in the thoughts’ as educators; we should initiate the change that will help us train the future generation to take up their appropriate place in tomorrow’s world, the use of computing, digitising teaching and learning, for this is the order of the day now! The past 25 years, 1995 and 2020, have seen a dramatic boom in various technologies. These include the internet and other accessories like the smart phones, iPads, smart boards, 3D, television, instagram, music streaming apps and others that enhance sourcing and processing of information in the form of text, videos or pictures. This also play a major role in their learning and meaning making process as they go through the various systems of education. The present generation, due to advanced technology, have a world-wide inter-connectivity. This borderless learning experience offers them the opportunity to encounter and relate to people online from all over the world where they easily make friends on the other side of the planet where they make friends and share ideas without physically meeting each other. In some instances, such relationship has extended to schools, families and even entire communities. As teachers/head teachers and owners of school, do you have the lens to see and understand what the 21st century learning environment should be? It is interesting how some schools still operate in abject ignorance to the characteristics and activities in the digital world and how they influence teaching and learning. Educators should change the way they teach and think to be in line with how the children can discover the world around them and the meaning they can generate for themselves using what they discover. It could be said that a lot of school owners are oblivious of the changing trends in how to educate today’s child. ‘Prevailing conditions, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic demands that we should work at home and from home. This situation insists that “We must learn at home, teach from home and do everything at home, using the available technologies particularly the interne on your phone even the ‘yam’ phone can be used for such purpose’’

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT (NACCA) Around the mid-2019, National council for Curriculum and Assessment introduced the Standards Based Curriculum for the Pre-tertiary level of education. The curriculum is geared towards the new ways of instructions (creative pedagogies) that will help the students acquire the necessary competencies that will help them nurture the confidence to practice those skills. With so much information readily available to them, the 21st century skills focus more on making sense with the information gathered by interrogating, sharing and using it in smart ways to solve simple to complex problems of the society. The nagging question to private school educator is, whether they understand the import of the Standards Based curriculum with its appropriate instructions to be used in teaching the children of today? If not, then, we are doing a great disservice to the learners in our schools. The children of today need pedagogies that are in tune with the 21st century learning experiences and environment. Unfortunately, in most of our schools, the learning environment and experiences do not help our children of today to think critically. It is an open secret that most of the teachers in our private schools don’t have the desire to become professional teachers in order to train the children to fit into the demands of the 21st century learning and job environment. Such teachers should not be entertained in our schools. To ensure that we train the children of today to take their appropriate positions in the society in future, I will advise all parties in the training of the child, especially along the lines of private school education, to start thinking creatively and critically so as to effect positive change of life in the children to ensure that as a country, we don’t lag behind in terms of development. The private schools must be the forbearers of change in terms of attitudes and behaviour for a better life for the children in our schools. GOVERNMENT OF GHANA. As part of efforts to elevate the teaching and learning atmosphere in Ghana to an internationally accepted level, the government of Ghana has introduced STEM education, Digital and virtual learning among many others. As implementers of government’s policies on education, using the medium of private school education, we have to put in place visionary plan to enable us implement such policies in a way that will be beneficial to the children and attract parents to enrol their children to our schools. Remember that the free education policy will be strengthened from time to time by governments because it is a constitutional provision and incumbent on governments to implement it for the benefit of the Ghanaian child. Currently, most parents are looking for avenues that are either free or affordable and can guarantee a better education for their children. This calls for innovative ways of implementing the 21st century system of teaching and learning at an affordable cost by the private schools if we really want to stay in business. For example, your time table should be redesigned to fit into this 21st century teaching and learning.

GHANA NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS (GNACOPS) The Ghana National Council of Private schools GNACOPS, which is internal regulatory body for private schools that encourages pluralism in education has come out for the first time, with a digital online examination and learning for the private schools in Ghana. As private school educators in times such as these, we have to take advantage of this online system. We should not lose sight of the fact that the government is also taking steps to introduce the same for the children in public schools. The government through the ministry of education, Pre-tertiary department is thinking of collaborating with the Private Schools Council to organise this form of digital learning for all children in the country. The council has also launched PreACT to replace BECE and WASSCE in the country for the private schools, and this programme is online as well, and internationally accepted holistic examination. In the light of all these opportunities, what should we do as owners of private schools in order to sustain your school and business? He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else. My dear reader, let us flow with the tide of change in the teaching and learning arena if we truly want to stay in business! The Ghana National Council of Private Schools, GNACOPS is ever ready to assist private school Directors and owners to know what to do and how to develop their school in line with current educational policies being rolled out worldwide. This will ensure a holistic internationally accepted education for the Ghanaian child. www.gnacopsgh.com Prince Kweku Entsie (GNACOPS) National Training officer, SBC 0502071245 / 0542892450

GNACOPS LAUNCHES ONLINE STUDY PORTAL FOR EDUCATION DELIVERY AND ASSESSMENT FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS

The Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) will from Monday, 6th April 2020, roll out an online Assessment Portal that will afford all Private Schools in Ghana the opportunity to conduct academic assessments for their learners. At the moment, the portal is ready. Schools and parents have begun registering learners at www.gnacopsgh.com/register. The assessment is based on all subjects including French language for students from Kindergarten 1 to JHS 2. Deadline for the registration is on the mid night of Sunday, 5th April 2020 as the assessment begins on the following Monday, 6th April, 2020 and ends on Friday, 10th April, 2020. This intervention has become necessary due to the closure of schools since March 15th following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Schools were preparing for the second term examinations when the unfortunate happened. In complementing the efforts of the government through the sector ministry for effective and quality education delivery, the Council is committed to using this intervention to help all private schools bridge the gap in terms of delivering effective educational curricula, instructions and assessment of the learners. This exercise seeks to help Private Schools fulfill their obligatory services they render to parents and learners, through the routine use of the internet and other technological support as important educational tools which when tapped into, can be very invaluable in the teacher and learning environment.

Private Schools Council will continually engage private schools in all aspects and find innovative ways to help in their service delivery to the learners, parents, teachers, school heads, proprietors, stakeholders and the nation as a whole. In this regard, after the assessment is over, the Council will roll out a very interactive online learning portal that will be used to deliver lessons to learners from kindergarten to the SHS in the comfort of their homes. Cc: The Hon. Minister, MoE The Hon. Deputy Minister, MoE The Director, Pre- Tertiary Directorate, MoE The Executive Secretary, NIB-MoE The Executive Secretary, NaCCA-MoE The Director General, GES-MoE The President, FERD The President, MONTAG The Acting President, GNAPS All Media Houses

PRIVATE SCHOOLS COUNCIL PETITIONS GOVERNMENT ON KEY CHALLENGES, AS SCHOOLS ARE CLOSE DOWN AS DIRECTED.

PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 24th March,2020

The Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS), in compliance with the Presidential directives following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, all schools including private schools which we represent, have closed down. The Council, having directed private schools to adhere to the school closure directives, would like to show our appreciation to all private school operators and managers, for the bold decision taken to stem the tide of this pandemic, as we re-assure all private schools of the council’s full support. The Research Directorate of the council has reviewed that, the closure of schools, which we support, has also impacted negatively on the finances of private schools whose income are dependent on fee payments by parents and loans from the financial institutions. As most parents were unable to settle the full fees before the closure, private schools now face challenges in meeting their financial obligations to the over 400,000 employees in terms of salaries, payment of SSNIT contributions, GRA contributions and loan repayments to Banks. On Monday 23rd March 2020, the Council submitted a Petition to the government of Ghana, through Office of the President to help cushion Private Schools from the effects of the closure of schools and ensure the sustainability of private education which provides education for over 30 percent of school going children. The Council has proposed the following for Government’s consideration and action: • Suspension of SSNIT and GRA contributions till one month after schools re-open. • Provision of loans at reasonable rates and repayment periods to distressed private schools to pay salaries of their staff, and • Suspension of bank loans repayments for distressed schools and resume payment a month after schools re-open. It is our trust that our listening government would respond favourably to our petition, as these measures will go a long way to enable private schools to continue supporting the government’s transformational agenda for our country’s education. Thank you very much for your usual support and attention. Thank you. signed Enoch Kwasi Gyetuah National Executive Director, GNACOPS Cc: • The Rt Hon. Speaker of Parliament • The Governor, Bank of Ghana • Hon. Minister of Education • Commissioner General, GRA • Managing Director, SSNIT • All Media Houses

THE COMMON CORE PROGRAM (CCP) CURRICULUM IS TO CURB UNEMPLOYMENT SITUATION IN GHANA- GNACOPS BOSS DISCLOSES

The Executive Director of Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS), Mr. Enoch kwasi Gyetuah has disclosed that, the introduction of Common Core Program (CCP) as a new curriculum for B7 to B10 level of education is a critical tool that will help to eradicate the growing unemployment situation among young Ghanaian secondary and tertiary school graduates. Mr Gyetuah made this declaration when addressing the media On Friday, 28th February 2020, after a national stakeholders engagement which was held at the Ghana National Association of Teachers- GNAT hall at Adabraka on the new *Common Core Programme-CCP.

He reiterated that the introduction of the program is prudent and in the right direction for our educational sector taking into account the teaming unemployment situation facing the youth in Ghana after secondary and tertiary education. He added that the CCP curriculum has some ingredients that focus on hands on activities which also challenge students to be critical thinkers to solve complex situations thereby creating job opportunities and offering the needed skills that propel employment viability in the global competitive market which is missing in our current educational system. He advised the government and the Ministry of Education to put all positive measures in place to ensure smooth implementation of the programme by involving all stakeholders in any decision making. Mr. Gyetuah also encouraged the Private School Operators in Ghana to put off their old skin of educational delivery methods, and sink into the new wine for better quality assured educational outcomes.

He pledged the private schools council's readiness and support to partner the government in ensuring effective implementation of the Common Core program. The stake holder engagement was at the instance of the National Curriculum and Assessment-NaCCA on the CCP which will start from Basic 7-10. The conference was dubbed, the Common Core Programme (CCP)- curriculum at a glance-using curriculum to achieve better educational outcome The CCP is the new program which is to be introduced in the next academic year in September. The current Basic 6 pupils are going to be the pioneers of the program. With the CCP which starts from JHS 1 to SHS 1, it's in line with the career path readiness of learners. The learners will combine the already achieved behavioral enhancement which mostly deals with the cognitive aspect with hands on practical training into any chosen discipline. At SHS 1, all core programs will end from where learners will pick and learn towards their elective career path course from SHS 2 till they complete school.

The forum was to collate feedback and inputs from key educational stakeholders and partners to help in crafting a very comprehensive CCP. Speaking at the conference, the acting Executive Secretary of NaCCA, Dr. Prince Hamid Armah said that the curriculum seeks to bridge all gaps in the previous syllabus. He added that, the curriculum was designed to help teaching and learning to follow a progressive trend. According to him, the framework of the CCP would be used to take decisions on remediations, placement, assessment and certification on the learners progress. He also hinted on a build up of a National Assessments Strategy to monitor learners' performance right from Basic 1 to basic 10 unlike the previous syllabus where major assessment was taken only in basic 9. He also added that there would be a teacher's resource pack as well as learner's resource pack in this new CCP to aid teaching and learning. He encouraged all stakeholders to open up and embrace the new program which has been developed to cater for the current academic, economic and social needs of the people and particularly on the job market. On his part, the Director General of the Ghana Education Service-GES, Professor Opoku Amankwaa added that, the government was working at a scheme where they will be installing internet connectivity in the various secondary schools to help in improving teaching and learning. Other key educational stakeholders and partners present were teachers, Teacher Unions, Curriculum Framers, Heads and Principals of Colleges of Education, Educational Consultants, Heads of Basic and Secondary Schools. Present were also Private Schools bodies including Ghana National Council of Private Schools-GNACOPS team which was led by the Executive Director Mr. Enoch kwasi Gyetuah and other council members. Also in attendance was the team from Ghana Association of Private schools-GNAPS amongst others as well as students and Curriculum Training Officers. At the questions and answers segment, all identifiable bodies present got the opportunity to ask questions which were answered by the organizers. There were a lot of contributions, suggestions and other critical inputs made on the day for consideration and possible inclusion into the CCP before the final document.

As his closing remarks, the Chairman of the conference, Professor Dominic Fobi thanked the organizers as well as all the stakeholders for their commitment to seeing to the best of education for the Ghanaian child. He however asked that the engagements should not end till the final document is ready. He prayed NaCCA to still open its doors for contributions and inputs which will only make the CPP better in the end.nference, Professor Dominic Fobi thanked the organizers as well as all the stakeholders for their commitment to seeing to the best of education for the Ghanaian child. He however asked that the engagements should not end till the final document is ready. He prayed NaCCA to still open its doors for contributions and inputs which will only make the CPP better in the end.

DISCLAIMER, PRIVATE SCHOOLS' INSPECTIONS AND REGISTRATION .

DISCLAIMER The Leadership of GNACOPS have sighted a letter purportedly coming from the Ghana Education Service, claiming to have modified certain parts of its regulations in line with National Inspectorate Authority's guidelines for inspection/registration and addressed to Regional, District, Municipal Directors etc. There is another specifically addressed to the Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions with timelines for inspection.

Recent communication also indicate that the *GES* is demanding that schools produce a GES Certificate before their schools' BECE registration can be processed. This information is completely False and has no basis whatsoever. The Ministry has not approved such unreasonable demands by an agency that no more possess the power to register and there is no such document as GES Certificate anymore. Any school or private candidate who has fallen victim to this extortion should report the case to the Ministry through the NED of GNACOPS for proper sanctions to be applied to whichever Director or Exams Officer engaging in this illegality and denying schools and candidates their constitutional rights. We wish to emphasize here that the Ghana Education Service does NOT have the mandate to inspect and register schools. It is only the NIB (National Inspectorate Board), also referred to as the NIA(National Inspectorate Authority), that has been vested with the authority to inspect and register schools and *NOT* the GES. This has been re-emphasised over and over and very recently by the Executive Secretary, Dr. Hilda Ampadu. For emphasis, it is only the National Inspectorate Board that has the mandate to inspect and register your schools. Do not entertain or pay monies to any group if they are not coming from the *NIB*. In due course, when on-going negotiations have been concluded, you will be furnished with final details and charges by the NED of GNACOPS. For further clarification please contact the NED (GNACOPS) on 0249641349 Thank you. STEVE REVSS, NATIONAL DIRECTOR, Int.Rel.,Mnt., Bus-Int. (0276111999) For and on behalf of the NED and GNACOPS Executive Council. The attached are the controversial letters from GES

GNACOPS NEW YEAR MESSAGE TO ALL PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL STAKEHOLDERS GNACOPS IS GRATEFUL,Accra, Wednesday,1st January 2020.

GHANA NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS- GNACOPS Accra, Wednesday,1st January 2020 GNACOPS NEW YEAR MESSAGE TO ALL PRIVATE EDUCATIONAL STAKEHOLDERS GNACOPS IS GRATEFUL

At Midnight, 2019 came to it's logical end and 2020 was ushered in. What a year it was!!!! We thank the Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, that we are all alive today and reading this message. It is His overshadowing grace that has eclipsed all our lives and brought us this far. Even though GNACOPS's formation began over two years ago, this group's Certification, Official and legal recognition by the Government of the Republic and all other related agencies was about 25 months ago and what a journey it has been. To all loyal hard workers of GNACOPS and the 30 million Ghanaians who have followed our activities, it's as if we have been in existence for decades. This is the result of the extremely hard work put it by all Regional Coordinators and Executives, National Directors and all activists who fight for Private Education behind the scenes. The journey has been very difficult but very fulfilling. Two years on, GNACOPS has managed to carve a niche in history by doing what no other Private Educational Group has been able to accomplish throughout the years. We have managed to put together, the first ever group of Proprietors, Managers, Educationists,Headteachers, Educational Workers, Consultants, Facilitators and Parents in the private sector.  Over two years, GNACOPS has gained Parliamentary Recognition and Approval. We've been accorded extremely high ratings from all Public Educational Agencies, Several Ministries and Ministerial select committees. Our work and collaboration with the PreTertiary Department of the Education Ministry, Ghana Library Board,Ghana Education Service, National Teaching Council, National Inspectorate Board, NaCCA and Agencies from the United States, Europe and the Far East has placed GNACOPS on the apex pedestal as the only true embodiment of Private Education in Ghana. Despite the distance travelled and huge milestones chalked, we at GNACOPS can emphatically affirm that this is just the beginning of greater achievements and honour to come. On the ground, we have combed the entire country, interacting with Schools to lay this solid foundation. The distribution of hundreds of thousands of books to schools across the country and collaboration with the Ghana Library Authority in the past, went a long way to encourage reading in our schools. The successful execution of two successful Conferences and the First Ever National Private Schools Awards in the past, was a ticker for greater milestones ahead. Another first that we chalked was when we brought together all four existing private school groups to a single table in collaboration with NaCCA that resulted in the first ever training of Private schools across the country by GNACOPS. Our acquisition of office space at the prestigious Ghana Atomic Energy Commission premises was a huge step in the right direction that placed GNACOPS in pole position to fully operate with the heart of the capital. Our visit to the President of the Republic, H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo,with whom we had several discussions and deliberations bordering on Private Education cannot be forgotten because it opened the floodgates to greater achievements to come. Followup visits to the Former President of the Republic, H.E. John Mahama to further discuss matters related to private education was a clear indication of our political neutrality in our quest for a better private education system. Looking ahead, no one should have any doubts about the leadership capabilities of GNACOPS to chart the course of Private Education and provide other stakeholders with a sustainable roadmap into the future and to continue with ongoing deliberations. To all GNACOPS members, Directors, Regional Coordinators, Regional Executives and Activists who have stood solidly with us throughout the journey so far, we say Thank You and Ayekoo for all the good work done. From all of us, the *GNACOPS TEAM*, we wish you a HAPPY NEW YEAR. Let us all endeavour to work harder this new year to move GNACOPS to higher heights. May all of our hardwork pay off for generations yet unborn. From STEVE REVSS, NATIONAL DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS/PROTOCOLS AND SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS. For and on behalf of the NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL DIRECTORS, REGIONAL COORDINATORS AND EXECUTIVES.

RE: GNACOPS Propaganda on Licensing of Private School Teachers Written By the Acting President of GNAPS.

Though it may not necessarily apply to those who are honored with doctoral titles, it is the general character of carriers of Doctoral titles, to research, beforbe making conclusive decisions and more so, publications. We would all appreciate for you to serve your association from a more facts informed position than emotional and political stands. We pray that the GNAPS fraternity would have higher expectations of you, to do better than your predecessor, in whose position you are acting without any communication of reasons for which he has to be replaced by you. You asked in your write up who mandated GNACOPS to collate data? Have you forgotten so soon that the Ministry of Education through NaCCA empowered Master Trainers to train private schools teachers? When we published that the SBC training was going to be use to build a Database of Private schools, for lack of understanding of the vision, your organization published counter messages just as you are doing now, to discourage teachers from participation in the training. In return, what did GNAPS do? Ran to GES to tell them you had no capacity to train your teachers, for which reason you invited GES trainers to come exploit private school teachers. If you had forgotten so soon, I hoped your mind has been refreshed. When a proactive organization like GNACOPS speaks on issues, you shouldn't be too quick to counteract because we operate at different altitudes which may be a bit difficult for your organization to understand. With all due respect Sir, it would be helpful if you could introspectively ask yourself these few questions; 1. What really is the focus or motivation of the Executive arm of GNAPS, besides reacting to issues brought to the fore by GNACOPS, for which your administration should be identified with? 2. Having assumed a new office from a Vice Chair position, was a counter message to GNACOPS' the best possible way to introduce your new position to the Private Schools community that pay some attention to publications from GNAPS? 3. If going this way could not help your predecesor to succeed in the position you are now acting in, do you honestly believe it will be helpful to you? 4. Did your predecessor tell you how frustrating, it was for him to try so hard to rundown a genuine proactive organization like GNACOPS, trying so hard to fight for Private Education in Ghana? 5. In any case, have you been attending Education Stakeholders engagements to which our two organizations are invited, including the NTC meeting you have referenced? Or like your predecessor, you boycott such engagements and still expects your opinions to be considered from the comfort of your home or school? 6. Since when have Private School teachers been a part of GNAPS? 7. Has GNAPS ever represented the interest of teachers in private schools? 8. Does your organization have any data on the teachers, even in the schools of your executive members which you can readily provide without asking them to supply? 9. Since the discussion on Licensing of Private School teachers came up a few years ago, what contributions and solutions has GNAPS brought to the table? 10. Are you aware that a school owner's membership of GNAPS does not in any way take away their rights to join any other Private school organizations? What are you so scared of, even with your supposed members reading GNACOPS messages? That they will know the vast difference in the beneficial services we render to private schools and your non-existent service delivery aside demanding for dues and payments? We believe it would be very helpful to put away your GNAPS prejudice of GNACOPS and learn of our vision, mission, membership composition and core mandate. It's only by doing that you would learn to appreciate that GNACOPS is an entirely different organization dealing with issues of Private education at a higher and far broader level than that of Association. The next time you are pushed by forces to counteract any publication of GNACOPS', think of the above before you act. We hope that GNAPS would be a better association under your leadership. We wish you well in your new post Adjei Kwarteng-Amaning, Greater Accra Regional Organizer - GNACOPS.

SPEECH BY REP OF PRIVATE SCHOOLS (NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF GNACOPS ,ENOCH KWASI GYETUAH AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF NATIONAL MASTER TRAINERS FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS ON THE STANDARDS-BASED CURRICULUM.

Mr Chairman, Honourable deputy Minister of education, The Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) the Director, Pre-Tertiary Directorate, the Executive Secretary, NaCCA, National Executives of the various Private Schools organisations, Facilitators, Participants, Friends from the media, invited guest, ladies and gentlemen The contributions of the private school system in Ghana from time immemorial is highly appreciable and has helped to sustain and improve upon quality education delivery. It is interesting to note that despite all these achievements, there seems to be an unintentional disjoint with the sector ministry in terms of inclusion in vital national activities such as the about to commence training of national trainers for the new curriculum. Today’s event, and subsequently that of this whole week, marks an indelible milestone in the education delivery in Ghana. Today, under the auspices of the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Educational Service and National Council for Curriculum and Assessment Agency, we will kickstart the training of 130 national trainers who will in turn train private school teachers in 98 centres nationwide. Never in the history of private school education in Ghana, has there been such a close relationship with the mother ministry as we are witnessing in recent times. I recall the promise made by his excellency, president Nana Akufo-Addo, when he invited the national directors of GNACOPS to his office in November last year. He assured the private schools of his government’s willingness to further deepen our mutual relationship us in decision-making on all policies on education in Ghana. In furtherance of this, the education ministry, through the Hon. Minister, the deputy minister in charge of general education, Hon. Yaw Adutwum and the director of the Pre-tertiary division, Mrs Catherine Appiah Pinkrah have been at the forefront to see to the revamping of the private schools in Ghana to make it an able partner with in the delivery of quality education in Ghana. This is a task they are executing to the letter and wish to request our participants to show appreciation through a loud applause! Hon., and madam Appiah-Pinkrah, private schools say Ayekoo! I will also like to commend the Executive Secretary of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), Dr. Armah, who despite his neck-deep schedules, made sure that this training programme becomes a success. This training programme, the first of its kind for the private schools in Ghana, comes at a time when the policy change in education in Ghana is calling for teachers who are well vested not just in the subject they teach but also how to implement the curriculum to the benefit of the Ghanaian child. Over the years, we have witnessed the situation where individuals parading themselves as educational consultants and so on, have trooped in to train teachers in the private schools to their own whims. To ensure uniformity and standards, henceforth any agency or consultancy who wish to train teachers in the private schools, especially on this Standard-Based Curriculum, have to seek approval from the appropriate quarters. I will plead with the Hon. Deputy Minister and the Director General of education to make their regional and district directors aware of this new development. I will like to appreciate the support given to us by the Ministry of Education and its associate agencies. So far, the ministry and NaCCA have supported us with to the tune of 25,000 Ghana Cedis. The Pre-tertiary directorate has also given quite a number of teaching and learning materials. An entire team from the Pre-Tertiary Directorate is also here to support the training. But like the legendary Oliver Twist, we are soliciting more of your assistance in any other form, including the provision of facilities of the public schools to be used as our training centres during the cascading training. For the training to become a continuum and beneficial to every child in the private school space; a monitoring team, with members drawn from the Pre-Tertiary directorate, NaCCA, the private schools associations, the National Teaching Council (NTC) and the National Inspectorate Board (NIB) will be constituted. Their report will be a guide for mop-up and subsequent training schedules for the private schools. Moving forward, although we are here to commence the training of the teachers in the private schools; one of our big challenges has been the ability to retain our teachers. This has further been compounded by the new teaching standards. It is a fact that a good number of the teachers in the private schools have no yet had the required qualification to sit for the licensure exams. To alleviate this, there has been the introduction of a Volunteer scheme, where interested unlicensed teachers in the private schools will be given the required training towards the award of an equivalent degree in education and subsequently the opportunity to write the licensure examination. Talks are ongoing with the National Teaching Council in this direction. There is also in progress the development and generation of a database of the entire number of teachers in the private schools across the country for onward submission to the National Teaching Council. Mr Chairman, this program would not have come off without the great effort put forward by the various associations, member colleagues and corporate partners. I’d hereby like to express our appreciation to all national and sub-national executives of Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS), the Foundation for Education, Research & Devt (FERD) and my own association, the Ghana National Council for Private Schools. We also say a BIG thank you to BISTA Solutions Ltd., for offering to develop or online forms and database and Ruach Education Consultant for Project Management Services… Last but not the least; I will urge all the participants to open up and learn very well so they can also pass on this unique knowledge being acquired to their colleague teachers to maintain an unbroken chain. You should note that the future of the Ghanaian child and for that matter the nation lies within this standard-based curriculum and how you teach it for onward implementation is most crucial in our march forward as a nation. I will like to end by re-echoing the Director General’s slogan for the training which is: WHEN I GET IT RIGHT, WE ALL GET IT RIGHT Thank you.

Just in; The national council for curriculum and assessment*(NACCA) organises training for private school teachers

The deputy minister of education and the executive secretary of NaCCA Would be opening training sessions of 130 master trainers to train all private schools across the breadths and widths of the country. The training program is in action in Accra, at GHANA ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION, the Graduate schools of Nuclear science campus.

The deputy minister and his entourage would officially commission the program today, 26th July, 2019 at exactly 8:00am. In the history of Ghana, this has been the first of its kind to have some teachers in the private schools to be trained as master trainers to impart their experiences to other teachers in the private sector of education. For more information, contact the PRO for GNACOPS, Mr Samuel Nyamekye on 0548470808. 0506277718

GNACOPS holds stakeholders training on new education curriculum

The leadership of Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) has organised a day’s training for Proprietors,Managers and teachers of Private Schools in Ashanti region.

The training focused on equipping stakeholders of education with adequate information and understanding on the current accademic reformation vis-a-vis the introduction of a new curriculum by the Ministry of Education. The stakeholders training which had the approval of the Education Ministry again sought to prepare participants to adapt and deliver in comformity with the new system. As announced by the Ministry, the new curriculum will replace the current one from Kingdergarten to Primary six. Under this new system, subjects to be taught at the KG level have been reduced from seven to four and have been integrated into themes. The themes for KG are Numecracy, Literacy, Creative Arts and Our World, Our People (citizenship). There is, however, no change in the number of subjects at the primary level. Speaking in an exclusive interview with GHANA BULLETIN ONLINE on the sidelines during the training, Director for GNACOPS Mr. Steve Revss underscored the new curriculum as far better than the previous since it is much practical and learner centered. He described the old educational system as robot based and that students were made to learn by memorising “chew and pour” which for him were not helping. “The new curriculum is just like that of the colonial days where we had few subjects and much practicals” he recalled. He disclosed that majority of teachers within the private sector have been trained and are prepared to flow with the new system come September 2019. Dr. Mantey Jectey Nyarko who is a lecturer at the Faculty of Art- KNUST also in his statement applauded the Ministry for moving Ghana’s educational curriculum from a content based to a standard type. This he indicated will make Ghana part of the world learning process considering the reality that skills in learning are changing and that “if students are not trained to acquire those skills, they will become irrelevant in the world of jobs and learning”. Dr. Mantey disclosed that the old curriculum has outlived its relevance and that training Ghanaian students with the old will put them completely out of the world of jobs and learning.

EDUCATION IS THE KEY -Story of a 35-year DCE

Thu, Mar 28, 2019

EDUCATION IS THE KEY
-Story of a 35-year DCE

From a poor background, Andrew Adu Boahen attended Bodwesango Junior/Senior High Schools, then to Akrokerri College of Education in the Ashanti Region and proceeded to the University of Education, Winneba.

From the college of education he combined teaching with politics, rising through the position of an assembly member of Bodwesango to a presiding member and actively involving himself in the 2008, 2012, 2016 general elections in different capacities for his constituency.

He landed himself a lucrative job in the United States of America (USA) in October 2017 but in less than 2months he had a call from his member of parliament (MP), K.T. Hammond, to return to the country to serve, in any available capacity, in the newly created Adansi Asokwa District. That was met with family and friends resistance as his sojourn abroad was a great hope for the family of the man not in politics to amass wealth but to solve problems.
But the determined patriotic young man defied the challenges and, by God's grace and dint of hardwork, became the first district chief executive (DCE) of Adansi Asokwa.

Mr. Adu Boahen's passion for education inspires him to, through thick and thin, better the educational lot of his people through timely provision of furniture, building materials, among others.

The less talking, action-oriented young politician is in the good books of the president of the republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for protecting the public purse when he once fought for the slashing of assembly member allowance by 50% because the previous amount was needless.

Mr. Adu Boahen believes his young age better positions him to serve, for a long time, his people and wants "to be remembered as a problem solver" .

The inspirational teacher has encouraged teachers to go the extra mile in making the best out of pupils especially from deprived communities.

Mr. Adu Boahen is married with two children.

He spoke in an exclusive interview with LEARNING MATTERS' founding editor Osei Kuffour on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 in the chief executive's office in Adansi Asokwa.


Story: Osei Kuffour
Fb: Osei Kuffour OK
E: okeditor5@gmail.com

EDUCATION MINISTRY, PRIVATE SCHOOLS MEETING POSTPONED

Press Release

Due to last minute challenges with schedule the much anticipated meeting between the Education Ministry/Education Service and the various private school groups initially slated for Saturday, March 30, 2019 at Kumasi Anglican Senior High School (KASHS) has been suspended indefinitely to allow  proprietors/proprietresses involved to make time to prepare their West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) candidates for the forthcoming exercise.


The stakeholders engagement intended to deliberate on the New Educational Reforms Implementation, National Policy for Private Schools, among others in pre-tertiary education in Ghana.

The next schedule will be duly communicated.

Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted.

Signed
ENOCH KWASI GYETUAH
GNACOPS ,NED
0249641349

TEACH OUR MUSIC AT BASIC LEVEL -Late Prof. Nketia's protégé

Thu, Mar 14, 2019

TEACH OUR MUSIC AT BASIC LEVEL
-Late Prof. Nketia's protégé

"Hmmm...He saw a star in me, took me from a village in 1995 and, by God's grace, fathered, mentored and exposed me to the world through my performances with the seperewa. He taught me what and how to say it on stage. He would have turned 98 in June and just as we were contemplating how to celebrate him, we've been hit by his demise. To me, it's like having lost a rising youth, " Osei Korankye breaks down.


Osei Kwame Korankye (affectionately called Osei Korankye), a foremost harp-flute (seperewa) player in Africa and a lecturer of traditional music/instruments at the University of Ghana, Legon, was under a 24-year (1995-2019) tutelage of the global music great, Emeritus Professor Kwabena Nketia, who, at 97, passed on on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 at the Legon Hospital in Accra after a short illness.

Eulogising his mentor, Osei Korankye bemoaned our crave for foreign or Western music and instruments at the expense of our rich heritage that offers us invaluable socio-economic gains that we have not taken advantage of.
And that the foreigners who come down to learn go back to make huge economic gains out of that.

Teary Osei Korankye further condemned the mocking of the few youth interested in the learning and performing indigenous music and instruments and called for the re-introduction of the teaching and learning of our music and instruments at the basic school level.

He called on the state to give the stage to our indigenous performers to encourage the promotion of our rich heritage for our generation and posterity.

On the media and tractional music event sponsors contributions to this quest, he didn't hesitate to say that there is more room for improvement.
Adding that he struggles to get his songs and events promoted by his own (the Ghanaian media) who, unfortunately, often promote other country's indigenous music.

He further called for unity among his colleague performers of the Ghanaian music and instruments because with selfishness and bickering there's no future for the field.

Osei Korankye has his mentor, the late Emeritus Professor Kwabena Nketia, eulogised in some of his compositions performed on international platforms.


Story: Osei Kuffour
Fb: Osei Kuffour OK
E: okeditor5@gmail.com

45YEARS OF GES -Waste of taxes

Thu, Mar 14, 2019

45YEARS OF GES
-Waste of taxes

In the words of a consultant to Ghana's Education Ministry, Dr. Prince Hamidu Armah,

"We know public schools are not doing well so we looked at the potential partnership between the private and public sector, and that is what has informed what we call Ghana Partnership School programme...It's anticipated that during the process, our public schools will learn from the experiences in the private sector and that is the principle behind the policy.
Under the programme, there will be effective supervision of teachers in public schools. If the head teachers are not happy with the behaviour of a teacher, they could ask the Ghana Education Service to bring to them a new teacher. So here, we are looking at how the private schools have performed by ensuring accountability. "

These statements come ahead of the policy which the ministry is due to introduce in September this year by piloting it in over 100 state-controlled basic schools in four regions viz Ashanti, Central, Greater Accra and Northern for the next three years.

The policy which the ministry indicates is not  privatisation of schools but leveraging the expertise of the private sector is expected to improve the performance of public basic schools in the country by changing the operational system to improve management of schools for better results.
And that it will not have any financial burden on parents.

This move, however, has been opposed by some teacher unions who say, contrary to the ministry's assurance, is a recipe for privatisation and eventual commercialisation of Ghana's education sector.

The latest to hit hard at the government is the Ghanaian National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) which is mandated to internally regulate over 22,000 private schools across the country.
GNACOPS intimates that for the nation to come this far in terms of poor standards is a reflection of the education service's failure to deliver on it's core mandate of quality education over the past 45years.
"GES must be dissolved as soon as possible and their offices and funds given to those who have succeeded in making the private sector worth  emulating by the public sector, " National Executive Director (NED) of GNACOPS, Enoch Kwasi Gyetuah, strongly stated in an interview with founding editor of Learning Matters, Osei Kuffour (Editor OK) on Wednesday, March 13, ahead of a non state actors stakeholder meeting by close of March.

GNACOPS call has been backed by several expert stakeholders in the country's educational sector.

In a related development, the owner of Joy Standard Schools, a leading name in the private sector for 27years in Ashanti, Stephen Donkor, has kicked against the publishing of the West African Examination Council (WAEC)'s results rankings.
Mr. Donkor says the practice, contrary to enhancing learning by schools, especially those who don't live up to exam expectations, trigger to the use of various ways and means by some schools and parents to buy questions for their candidates.
The development, he added, does not reveal the true abilities of candidates hence they perform abysmally when they progress to other levels where such bad practices are not countenanced.


Story: Osei Kuffour
Fb: Osei Kuffour OK
E: okeditor5@gmail.com

PRIVATE SECTOR EDUCATION -There is no policy!

Mon, Mar 11, 2019

PRIVATE SECTOR EDUCATION
-There is no policy!

Despite the invaluable contributions of the private sector to Ghana's educational development over the past 60years, the sector, boasting of 22,000 schools, has no policy to guide its operations.

National Executive Director (NED) for Ghanaian National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS), Enoch Kwasi Gyetuah, made the statement at the council's maiden meeting with members in the Upper West Region in Wa.

Mr. Gyetuah added that private schools are not represented at the highest decision making level in education in the country and there are no grievance channels to seek redress during challenges.

He briefed members on the Education Act 788 of  2008 that was reviewed in 2015 to regulate the operations of private schools that started as Home or Castle Schools by the European merchants for their children and later extended to their local converts.
Adding that GNACOPS has a Research Team to come out with credible data to support advocacies.

He was grateful to add that through GNACOPS' relentless advocacies, the government has initiated tax reliefs that members should take advantage of by ensuring proper book keeping and financial reporting in their operations to qualify them for such.
Also, effective next academic year, 50% of the BECE registration fee will be borne by the government.

On his part, Director for Logistics and Data Management of GNACOPS, Timothy Gyebi, urged members to keep abreast of the current trends or transformations in the nation's educational policy.
Sole proprietorship, he disclosed, will soon be a thing of the past because when the proprietor/proprietress dies the school suffers gravely if it does not collapse.

He reiterated that the New Educational Reforms call for all teachers to be licensed before employment and that international educational consultant, Grant Bulmuoh, will lead a team to prepare members within 4years to write the licensure exam.
He further encouraged members to join the GNACOPS Volunteers Service Scheme (GVSS) at GH¢50 registration fee and qualify for monthly allowance while undergoing pre-licence training.
Members were reminded that national service is still mandatory.

On closure of schools, Mr. Gyebi said that only Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and Regional Coordinating Councils (RCCs), upon recommendations by the Ghanaian Education Service (GES), have the mandate to close down schools.

GNACOPS bemoaned the misuse of funds by public sector, paving way for Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in education, a development which will eventually collapse private schools due to their inadequate decent infrastructure.

The council urged the enthused participants to be critical thinkers to fit well into the society.
And assured members it is up to the task of redeeming the sinking image of private schools in Ghana.

✍🏽: Osei Kuffour
Fb: Osei Kuffour OK
E: okeditor5@gmail.com

COME CLEAR ON LICENCE -GNACOPS to NTC

Sat, Mar 02, 2019

COME CLEAR ON LICENCE
-GNACOPS to NTC


Following the release of the maiden Teacher Licensure Examination results, the National Teaching Council (NTC), has made statements that baffle the Ghanaian National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) and the latter is impressing upon the former to come clear on those statements.

NTC boss, Dr. Mrs. Evelyn Oduro, said that effective September this year all teachers, public and private, without teaching licence will not be allowed to enter the classroom.
She added that existing teachers will not write the exam but will undergo professional in-service training to upgrade themselves for the licence.
And those who failed the exam will have to re-sit during the second exam in March this year.

However, national executive director (NED) of GNACOPS, Enoch Kwasi Gyetuah, in an interview with LEARNING📖MATTERS founder, Osei Kuffour (Editor OK), strongly underscored the fact that they are at sea about the fate of their over 400,000 unlicensed private school teachers across the country come September 2019.

In a related development, Mr. Gyetuah, while commending Ghanaian journalists on their educational advocacies, has, however, implored them to probe statements from government officials on educational policies to give understanding to the lay person.


✍🏽: Osei Kuffour
Fb: Osei Kuffour OK
E: okeditor5@gmail.com

MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY -Reminds me of Joy Standard Sch

Feb 21: MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY
-Reminds me of Joy Standard Sch

I was media consulting for Stephen Donkor, the director of Joy Standard Schools in Kumasi at his office when he received a call from a male student's father from Canada.

I heard Mr. Donkor speak:
"Please, whenever I speak to your son in English he responds in Twi. I don't understand why but he wouldn't tell me. Please, why is it so? "

I couldn't hear the caller but after their conversation Mr. Donkor briefed me that unknown to him, the student was transferred from a school in Canada to the Ghanaian school, Joy Standard, to learn and speak Twi well.
"Now I understand, " he remarked.

Growing up at Maase in Offinso in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, I frequented my neighbours' house and always heard their dad, Mr Amponsah, retired English language instructor, respond to them in Twi as they spoke English.
But he always corrected them when they erred in the English language.

My father wouldn't speak English to me but always corrected me when I erred.
And I always asked him whatever I didn't understand in Twi and he always coached me.

I apply the same principle to my children and I realise a balance of good Twi and English in them.
And more so, as I wholly uphold the L1 Policy (80% local language, 20% other) especially in public schools (before primary 4) , I make sure their teachers strictly apply it to them even when others may not prefer that for their wards.
People close to me shudder at how I speak standard Twi with my children and give them the translations in English.
This has tremendously improved their transfer of learning skill.

I, this day, advise all and sundry to do their best possible to let their children learn and use their mother language well as it enhances their transfer of learning skill.

LEARNING📖MATTERS, therefore, implores the Ghanaian National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) particularly to consider this admonition because the private schools overemphasise the English language at the expense of our invaluable indigenous ones.

Together change is possible!
Possible is everything!


✍🏽: Osei Kuffour
Fb: Osei Kuffour OK
E: okeditor5@gmail.com