DON'T JEOPARDISE FUTURE OF STUDENTS

STUDENTS of second cycle schools in the three northern regions have been out of the classroom since the beginning of this term because of the delay in the release of scholarship grants to them this academic year.
The latest closure of the schools is not an isolated case. In the past, students have had their academic pursuits disrupted because of the inability of the government to release scholarship grants on schedule.
How this challenge has become a regular feature on the calendar of schools in the three northern regions is difficult to conjecture. What is obvious is that every year, the government budgets for funds to provide scholarships for students in the three northern regions.
Since the scholarship package for students in the three northern regions was introduced in the First Republic, as part of a grand programme to bridge the development gap between the north and the south, the initiative has come up against many challenges, paramount among which is the late release of grants to the students.
The closure of the schools in the three northern regions has become so frequent that some groups of Ghanaians think the time is ripe for the policy to be reviewed. Those who belong to this school think that there are many parents who can afford the payment of school fees for their children. Furthermore, they believe some of the conditions in the three regions can also be found in other areas, including the region of the capital city.
Whatever the argument for or against the policy the Daily Graphic believes that the government support in the form of the scholarship package is for a good reason.
Although it is an undeniable fact that there are well-to-do people in the three regions, the generality of the populace is very vulnerable. Therefore, any government initiative that seeks to provide safety nets for the people and cushion them against the negative effects of market forces should be welcomed and supported by all.
Thus, the release of funds to the schools in the area to resume academic work shows the preparedness of the government to continue with the policy.
It is our hope that the school authorities would design the necessary programmes to help the students make up for the lost teaching hours.
Equally, we call on the students to adjust to whatever arrangements that would be put in place by the school authorities to address the challenges that would come with the shorter school term.
School authorities also have a responsibility to step up the teaching and learning processes in order to help the students to catch up with their colleagues in other regions of the country. For, after all, the students would be called upon to write the same examination at the end of their courses.
Be that as it may, the Daily Graphic is greatly concerned about the perennial failure of the Scholarship Secretariat to release grants to schools in the three regions. It is a worrying development which must be addressed in order not to deepen the development gap between the north and the south, which the policy seeks to address.
All stakeholders have a responsibility to ensure even educational development and standards throughout the country and until the scholarship scheme for the students in the three regions is reviewed, we have to exert pressure on the government to provide the budget for the initiative.