The Ghana Education Service (GES) has officially launched a harmonised prospectus for Senior High and Technical Schools, aimed at streamlining requirements for first-year students across the nation. Titled the “National Prospectus,” this document sets forth uniform standards that all incoming students must adhere to, eliminating any additional items schools might have previously imposed.
With this new prospectus, parents will benefit from a more efficient shopping experience, as they will no longer have to wait for the Computerised School Selection and Placement process to begin purchasing necessary items for their children. The prospectus is organised into three main categories, clearly outlining basic needs and cleaning materials to ease the burden on parents.
Category ‘A’ includes 27 essential items such as a hard body suitcase or trunk, chop box, toiletries, beddings, a pair of school-specific footwear, underwear, cutlery, and educational tools like mathematical sets and scientific calculators.
Category ‘B’ focuses on cleaning materials, divided into three groups. Group one requires students to bring a pair of hard gloves, 5 litres of liquid soap, and one kilogramme of washing powder. Group two entails purchasing a small-sized bleach, dustpan, long-handled broom, and scrubbing brush, while group three involves getting a standing mop and mop bucket, a duster, and a short local broom.
For day students, Category ‘A’ specifies that they must have a mathematical set, a scientific calculator, decent sandals (school-specific, no embellishments), black or white sneakers, and a school bag. The cleaning materials requirements for day students also align with the three groupings.
Dr. Eric Nkansah, the Director-General of GES, explained the rationale behind grouping these items, stating that previous experiences highlighted the need for a more manageable list of cleaning materials. He expressed that this approach aims to prevent the overwhelming burden of excessive purchasing.
“Students in each school will be categorised under three groups to ensure that all cleaning materials are accounted for,” Dr. Nkansah said. He encouraged parents to purchase all items, except cleaning materials, in anticipation of the student categorisation.
The Director-General reassured parents that the placement process would be smooth, as his team is prepared to tackle any challenges. He emphasised the importance of the harmonised prospectus in eliminating unnecessary items that could hinder timely enrolment.
Dr. Nkansah expressed gratitude to parents for their understanding and confirmed that there are sufficient vacancies for all qualified candidates. He urged heads of schools to comply with the new prospectus and reminded them that any demands for placement fees would not be tolerated.
“We will not take it lightly at all if anyone is found engaging in such practices, because the admission process is free,” he warned.
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