I attended E.P Primary and JHS in Tamale, neither of which was a Category A school. At the time, my mother was a teacher and could not afford to send me to a category A school like John Teye in Accra, where some of my cousins studied.
When I scored an aggregate 17 in JHS, my mother, a teacher herself, was deeply disappointed and let me know it constantly, as she had hoped for an aggregate 6. I eventually gained admission to Ghanasco, since a school like Presec was simply not within our means.
I went on to study at UDS, Wa Campus, as part of the second batch of the Integrated Development Studies (IDS) programme in 2003. At that time, UDS was often seen as a “rural university,” and some of our colleagues who attended Legon, UCC, and KNUST often looked down on us as though we had failed in life.
Today, I hold a PhD in Economics from a prestigious University in the United States of America with extensive international work experience in both academia and government. I can also say I am arguably more educated and more enlightened than many of our colleagues who had the privilege of attending Category A schools throughout their academic life, from primary school through university.
My point is this: the school you attend matters far less than your own determination to make something of your life. Many students pass through Category A secondary schools yet graduate with poor results that limit their future prospects. Parents should exercise patience when their child’s JHS results don’t secure a Category A placement — ultimately, much depends on the individual, not the institution.
That being said, there is a legitimate concern about the placement system that needs addressing. It makes little sense, for instance, to place a student from Accra in a day school in the north, or a student from Achimota JHS in a day school in Tema. Distance should be a key factor in placement, and any student placed far from home should be given boarding status, regardless of whether the school is Category A or otherwise.
On a personal note: this year, my daughter Tipagya scored an aggregate 27 in JHS in Tamale and has been placed at a secondary school in Agona Swedru. I encouraged her to accept the placement. Last year, my other daughter, Kasi, was placed at Krobo Girls in the Eastern Region, away from Accra, and I encouraged her to go as well.
I told both of them that what truly matters is earning grades that can take them to university — not the reputation of the secondary school they attend. As long as they pass their secondary school, they will eventually meet students from Aburi Girls and other Category A schools at universities like UDS, Legon, UCC, and KNUST, where they will stand on equal footing — and may even outperform them.
Let us stop allowing secondary school placements to determine our children’s futures. This is my earnest appeal to all Ghanaian parents.
By Sa-ad Iddrisu, PhD.
