Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Education Minister
The Akufo-Addo-led Government has announced that it has no intention to cancel its flagship education initiative, Free Senior High School (FSHS), enjoyed by many Ghanaian children despite the current worsening economic challenges.
The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, who announced this at a press briefing held in Accra said: “Let me say this, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has no intention to roll back on a major policy like Free SHS.”
Even though the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Association of Bankers, John Awuah, has said that the Free SHS programme in its current state, is wasteful and does not help the current dire economic situation of the country.
According to Mr. Awuah, government could review the Free SHS policy such that it only targets community day schools and the needy in society.
He said, “Why is the government paying my children’s school fees? I did not beg for it. Why is Free SHS free for me? Why is it free for people like me and a lot more people who have not asked for it?”
He noted that the poor implementation of the Free SHS policy was due to the lack of reliable data on Ghana’s demography, leading to the blanket implementation of social interventions.
But the Finance Minister explained government position on the flagship policy despite the suggestions made by some individuals to cancel and review the policy, he said, “We see education as the best enabler for sustainable economic growth and transformation, and will do more to improve on it for it to serve more and better our children.”
BY Daniel Bampoe