GES Grants SHS Students Four Days To Participate in Voters Registration Exercise

The Ghana Education Service (GES), has permission to Senior High School (SHS) students who are 18 years old and above to leave their schools temporarily and participate in the process of registering to vote in the upcoming elections.

The permission granted by the GES allows these eligible students to be away from school for four days, starting from Tuesday, May 7th, and continuing until Friday, May 10th, 2024. This four-day period is specifically set aside to enable these students to engage in the voter registration exercise. This means that if these students meet the legal age requirement for voting, they can take a break from their studies to register as voters

The decision by the GES to grant this permission is based on the recognition of the constitutional right of all Ghanaian citizens to participate in the democratic process by voting in elections. In Ghana, like in many other countries, the right to vote is considered fundamental and is enshrined in the constitution.

In order to ensure that all relevant parties are informed about this decision, the GES has issued a directive to the Regional Directors of Education. These directors are responsible for overseeing education within their respective regions and are tasked with communicating this information to the Heads of Second Cycle Institutions (i.e., high schools) under their jurisdiction.

Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission (EC), which is the body responsible for organizing and overseeing elections in Ghana, has already begun the voter registration exercise. This exercise commenced on Tuesday, May 7th, the same day the SHS students were granted permission to participate, and it is scheduled to run for a period of 27 days, ending on May 27th, 2024.

READ ALSO; GES Raises Alarm Over Tattoos Among Students

The purpose of the voter registration exercise is to enable eligible Ghanaian citizens who have reached the age of 18 since the last registration exercise in 2020 to register as voters. Additionally, the exercise is open to individuals who were already 18 or older during the previous registration but were unable to register for various reasons.

The decision by the GES to allow SHS students to participate in the voter registration process reflects a commitment to upholding democratic principles and ensuring that all eligible citizens have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote in elections.