The headmaster of Ahafoman Secondary Technical School in the Ahafo region, Mr. Derrick Adu Gyamfi, has urged parents to ensure their wards report to school on time.

This follows the low turnout of first-year students on the reopening day of the new academic year.

The Ghana Education Service had directed first-year students to report to school on the 4^th of December, barely a week after their BECE results were released.

Some parents had complained that the short interval between the release of school placements and the reopening date had not given them ample time to prepare their wards for school.

Attempts to get the reopening date rescheduled have failed, leading to low turnouts across the country.

Speaking to Adom News, Derrick Adu Gyamfi said students reporting late to school was detrimental to their education and placed undue strain on the already underfunded educational system.

“The numbers of students that reported are small. Those who took advantage of online admission are those who have reported. There are about 20 students who took advantage of online registration and they have reported to campus.

“We requested 1,200 students and the students are to report today but because of the delay in placement by GES, most of the students came for admission today. As of 12 noon, about 150 students had come for their admission”

He noted that parents should be held accountable for their children's education, and steps should be taken to ensure that students are enrolled and attending classes promptly to avoid further delays in the academic calendar.

“Ahafoman Secondary School has that problem. When school has reopened and the child is to come to school, many do not come and this affects teaching and learning.

“The semester has been structured into days and weeks hence even if a student misses a day it affects the academic calendar. In a class of 40 students when 20 students show up it makes the teaching discouraging.

“We will plead with parents. We know the system is hard but they should try their best to make the student's reports on time. “