The Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Adutwum says the Ministry is planning to rank Senior Secondary 
Schools according to their performances at the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).
This, he believed will encourage students as well as school administrators to push up their individual roles in attaining higher marks in the ranking.
Addressing a cross-section of the media in Kumasi yesterday, Dr Adutwum stressed the determination of the NPP government to ensure optimum academic performance from all schools within the second cycle bracket.
The ranking system, the Deputy Minister stressed would eventually become part of the educational system as the government plans to put into the public domain results and performance of all schools in the country.
RESISTANCE:
But in a startling revelation, the Deputy Minister said some headmasters are against this new system the Ministry is introducing.
According to him, some feel not all schools have similar educational facilities to engender optimum academic performance from students.
Others, he mentioned also argued that a level playing field be offered all schools before they are graded so as to ensure fairness in the ranking system.
However, Dr Adutwum insisted that the Ministry is bent on going ahead with the ranking system since that is the only way the media as well as the public can adequately gauge the performance of the second cycle schools in the country.
FREE SHS:
Commenting on the Free Senior High School Policy the government is implementing this September, the Deputy Minister expressed the commitment of the Ministry to ensuring it is implemented to the latter.
Fees and charges which hitherto was impeding students who had completed Junior High School from accessing Senior level education will be eliminated, the Deputy Minister reiterated.
The implementation of the Free SHS, the Deputy Minister opined will not only ensure the mass of the people get access to school but will also relieve parents from the burden they had to bear in getting schools as well as paying for huge money for their wards to get enrolled in SHS.
Dr Adutwum noted the payments of teacher motivation fee, library fees, text books fees and other related items had a toll on parents as it hindered poor parents from paying to enroll their children in SHS.
