Ghana's Minister of Education, Honorable Yaw Adutwum has assured Advetnist Church leaders that his Ministry will ensure that national examinations at the secondary level are not held on Saturdays.
"Saturday is not a day that we want to write exams," the Minister said.
He gave this assurance when leaders of the Adventist Church and Seventh-day Adventist Instructors recently called to congratulate him on his appointment as the substantive head of the Ministry of Education.
Led by the union presidents of the two unions in Ghana, Kwame Boakye-Kwanin, president of the Northern Ghana Union Conference and Thomas Techie Ocran, president of the Southern Ghana Union Conference. Ocran congratulated Honorable Adutwum and assured him of the Church's support to help improve education in Ghana.
"We will always pray for you and [we] pledge that the Seventh-day Adventist Church will cooperate with the Ministry to achieve Ghana's education [goals],” Ocran said.
He also used the opportunity to reiterate the Church's plea for the curtailment of Sabbath exams for entry level examinations especially at the secondary level and to appeal to the government to absorb some Adventist secondary schools that were facing challenges in the face of the free senior high school policy.
"When decisions affect Adventist students, we should be given options so a person's faith is not set against their right to education," said Ocran.
In response to the issue of absorption of some proposed Adventist schools by the government, the Minister said his Ministry is willing to work with faith based organizations to facilitate children's access to education but schools must show proof of performance to qualify for absorption.
The minister also took part in the opportunity to brief the delegation on the government's new educational policy which emphasizes STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering and math.
Other members of the delegation include: Pastors Chris Annan Nunoo, Annor Boahene and the General Manager of Adventist school, Elder Samuel Owusu Ansah. Others are the Vice Chancellors of Valley View University, Prof. Daniel Bediako, the Rector of the Adventist College of Education-Asokore, Prof William Koomson and Dr. Solace Asafo.
Also present at the meeting were: Chief Director at the Ministry, Mr. Benjamin Gyasi, and the Director for Pre Tertiary, Mrs. Catherine Appiah Pinkrah, both members of the Ministry of Education .