Private SHSs transforming weak students

The Sonrise Christian Senior High School (SCHOSA) in Ho has been able to transform candidates with weak grades at the Basic Education Certificate Education (BECE) by making them score high grades at the West African School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) to qualify into tertiary institutions.

The administrator of SCHOSA, Mr Joseph Dzamesi, who said this, insisted that private SHSs had the capacity to “turn weak students round” to become high-performing students by the time they wrote the WASSCE.

At the graduation ceremony of 120 students, he said the school had, therefore, broken the stigma associated with the performance of private SHSs, which were perceived as being run by business men who exploited parents by charging exorbitant fees and offered substandard education.

Mr Dzamesi said the school had proven those sceptics wrong and added that SCHOSA was set up to offer quality and holistic education at an affordable cost to students.

Appeal to Ministry of Education

He reiterated an appeal to the Ministry of Education to reintroduce the aggregate 30 as cut off under the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) for the BECE candidates so that the private high schools could absorb the rest.

According to him, the government policy of posting BECE candidates with aggregate 42 to third tier public schools in the name of access was not prudent and queried, “How do we justify the posting of students who have weak fundamentals to government schools that do not have enough facilities or teachers?”

Richmond Award

He announced the institution of an award known as the Richmond Best Students Award to honour the best two students in the WASSCE in the school.

Mr Dzamesi explained that the award, with the equivalent of $700 for the best student and $300 to the second best student in the WASSCE, would be sponsored by Clarence and Valle Richmond of Searcy, Arkansas, the United States of America (USA).

Advice to students

The Chief Accountant at the Ministry of Education, Mr Stephen Mensah, reminded the graduates that they were entering a period of self-discipline to fight for goals in life and that only those who worked hard and learnt from failures and mistakes could succeed.

He said student intelligence should be associated with discipline and humility without which one might face unexpected challenges that could ruin one’s career.

The Chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), Dr G.E.K Dorvlo, told the graduands that they were graduating at a critical period when the nation was facing energy and financial crises that had led to retrenchment.