The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch has bemoaned the insincerity in the reasons given by the Ghana Education Service (GES) for rescheduling the reopening date for Senior High School finalists.

Kofi Asare said GES must admit to having infrastructural challenges that have succeeded in obstructing the SHS calendar for the eighth time since the inception of the free SHS policy in 2017.

Speaking to Host, Evans Mensah on PM Express Wednesday, he believes the inability of the Education Service and the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) to collaborate and share information has partly led to the postponement of the reopening date.

The Education expert indicated that GES' earlier decision to have Form One and Two students reopen first and later have their seniors join them was ill-advised.

"We can only resolve the issue when we are honest about the challenge. The apology can only be taken in good faith with the expectation that we all work together to resolve this issue and prevent it from recurring."

"There is a seemingly lack of synergy between CSSPS and the GES. On the 4th of February, Mr Sasu (CSSPS Coordinator) made a pronouncement that per the plan, Form Two and Three students will be in school and Form One students on both tracks will be at home.

"When Form Two and Three students leave school, the Form One students will come to school. This was the statement put out by the CSSPS coordinator only for GES to announce that on March 16, all Form One and Two students will be in school and still expect Form Three students to join the cohorts on 6th April and that was inconsistent with the CSSPS plan," Africa Education Watch boss explained.

Senior year students were scheduled to return to school on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 to complete their academic works ahead of the WASSCE exams.

But on the same day, the Ghana Education Service released a statement to announce the postponement of the reopening date to May 5, 2021.

The sudden development caused inconveniences for students and parents alike with some left frustrated when they got to campus only to be hit with the news.

While apologising for the late communication in the rescheduled date, Head of Public Relations Unit at GES, Cassandra Twum Ampofo said the decision to delay the reopening is to provide the final year students uninterrupted teaching period ahead of the WASSCE exams.

She also indicated that the Ghana Education Service is working around the clock to address the challenges with infrastructure to allow the various schools to adequately receive the students when they finally return for academic work.

Madam Twum Ampofo further appealed for calm as every decision taken by GES is to inure to the benefit of the students.

"The postponement was to give them uninterrupted instructional hours and that is exactly what the situation is. Again, CHASS also indicated to us the other challenges which we are working on. The issues relating to furniture etc. and we are very sure that on May 5, all the challenges raised by CHASS will be resolved," the GES PRO assured.

Meanwhile, Kofi Asare said that it is practically possible for the issues of congestion to be addressed if GES insists that contractors who were paid to supply furniture do so before the SHS 3 students resume.