The Ministry of Education has stated that First-Year Senior High School students are to report to school on Monday, December 4, 2023.

The schedule affects both students on single and double-track system, as mentioned in the 2023/2024 academic calendar released by the Ghana Education Service (GES).

Although there have been concerns about the short notice just when the school placement was released, the Ministry of Education has explained that the academic calendar was put out several weeks before now, according to the Ministry's spokesperson, Kwasi Kwarteng.

According to him, that was the time parents were supposed to make adequate preparations prior to the reopening.

“Resumption date for students within the SHS space remains Monday, December 4, 2023. The expectation is that students report on the first day. But let me also hasten to add that, the first-year students who are unable to report on the first day will not automatically lose their slots."

"Students can report the following day or even the following week, as we have always witnessed. If you look at the academic calendar, it had already been within the public space for some time now and the expectation was that parents, guardians, and even students prepared ahead of time,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has urged the Ministry of Education to reconsider its decision for fresh students to report to school on December 4.

After the minority side raised concerns about the limited time for parents and students to prepare, the Speaker urged the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, to consider the first week of January 2024 as the reopening date and appear before Parliament on Monday to brief the house on the matter.

“The house calls on and urges the Minister of Education to reconsider the directive by the Ministry of Education to students and authorities, including teaching and non-teaching staff, to resume academic work on Monday, December 4, 2023.”

“The house proposes for the consideration of the Ministry of Education the first week of January 2023 for the resumption of academic work in these schools. The Minister of Education is directed thereafter to report to brief the house on Monday, December 4.”

He asked parents and students to remain calm as efforts are being made to address the issue.

The house further calls on students, parents, teachers, and teaching staff to keep calm as the house resolves the matter" he added.