The Head of the Department of Pharmacology, College of Health Sciences, at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has appealed to the government to reconsider the cancellation of the four-year Senior High School (SHS) system. The Reverend Professor Charles Ansah said there was the need to continue with the system over a period to allow for proper assessment. “This in my opinion should be discussed and considered dispassionately without political sentiment, but in the overall welfare of our own children and improvement of our educational system.” He was speaking at the launch of the 60th anniversary celebration of the Opoku Ware SHS in Kumasi. The theme for the anniversary celebration is “Sixty years of Catholic education: Building a school of academic excellence through moral discipline.” Rev Prof Ansah said it was also important to streamline the computerized placement system to eliminate all factors, human or otherwise, that tended to create unacceptable delays and frustrations to parents and school authorities. He said it should not be lost on anyone, the direct impact this had on the smooth running of the academic calendar. His other worry had to do with what he said was the misinterpretation of disciplinary measures aimed at supporting academic work in schools as human rights violations. “We must always remember that we are Africans and our traditional values, especially moral upbringing of our children, must not be sacrificed for anything else.” Rev Prof Ansah acknowledged that recent religious developments in the country were also threatening the very foundation of moral discipline and holistic development of children. He cited the “propagation of prosperity gospel, which is a harbinger of laziness and other teachings that are at variance with Catholic, Protestant and true Pentecostal traditions” and said these needed to be tackled with some urgency. The Headmaster of the school, Mr Fidelis Oppong-Mensah, described the academic performance of the school as impressive and attributed this to strict moral discipline. He appealed for the construction of more staff quarters, improved access roads and a well stocked information communication technology (ICT) centre. The pioneer students, numbering 70, arrived in the school in February 1952. Its present population stands at 2, 595.