A member of the Parliament's Education Committee, holding the position of Ranking Member, Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, has criticized the Education Ministry's insistence on maintaining the December 4 reopening date for new Senior High School students, despite a plea from the Speaker for a change.

Peter Nortsu-Kotoe expressed his disapproval in an interview on JoyNews Desk on Friday, December 1, stating that such a lack of respect should not be tolerated.

“For me, the refusal of the Ministry to listen to the Speaker is also disrespectful to the House,” he said.

On Thursday, November 30, the Speaker of Parliament urged the Education Ministry to reconsider its decision regarding the reopening date for fresh students, scheduled for Monday, December 4, 2023, which is just a week after their placement.

Many students are currently collecting prospectuses from the schools they've been enrolled in.

The Speaker also directed the Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, to appear before the House and reverse the decision.

However, the Education Ministry remains firm on maintaining the December 4 reopening date. According to the Ministry's spokesperson, Kwaku Kwarteng, the academic calendar had been released several weeks ago, implying that parents should have made adequate preparations before the scheduled reopening.

He, however, added that “the first-year students who are unable to report on the first day will not automatically lose their slots.”

In response to these statements, Mr. Nortsu-Kotoe raised questions about the Ministry's urgency in having first-year students report to school on December 4, especially considering the approximately 108,000 placement issues that still need to be addressed. He argued that it would be unreasonable to overburden the students and suggested pushing the reopening date to January to allow the students some time to rest.

“If you're saying that you have given a directive and there would be no change, why are you making it so difficult for parents and teachers to prepare for proper academic work?” he quizzed.

According to him, the House will impress on the Education Minister to change the date when he appears before Parliament on Monday.