Veteran journalist and Managing Editor of The Insight, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has expressed concern about what he describes as a growing social trend in Ghana’s education system, saying students from local authority schools often go on to live decent lives while many from international schools struggle with wayward lifestyles.
Speaking on Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV, Mr Pratt shared his views on recent comments by Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu about plans to upgrade lower category schools to Category A.
He said the focus should be on ensuring that all schools meet a common standard rather than classifying them by category or the wealth of their parent communities.
“I think what we ought to do is to build schools with uniform standards throughout the country and for everybody,” he said. “The previous government under Nana Akufo-Addo tried to reduce the influence of parent-teacher associations on school development because schools in wealthier areas had more resources from parents, while others struggled. That policy made sense.”
Mr Pratt argued that the quality of education should not depend on how much parents can contribute. He added that several examples exist of students from less privileged schools excelling in science and mathematics, challenging the belief that elite schools always produce better outcomes.
On the issue of student behavior and life outcomes, he made a striking observation.
“I have noticed a certain trend where those who go to the local authority schools tend to make decent lives for themselves, whereas a lot of those who go to the international schools end up as drug addicts and waywards,” he said.
He attributed part of the problem to the exposure and lifestyles within certain privileged environments, warning that the education system must focus on character formation and equality of opportunity, not just prestige.
Mr Pratt’s comments add to the ongoing debate about the fairness and purpose of Ghana’s school categorisation system, which critics say reinforces social inequality instead of bridging it.
