Member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and former Municipal Chief Executive of Offinso South, Hon. Haruna Yussif, has opined that the Free SHS flagship program is the most useless policy ever in the history of governance in Ghana.
The Free Senior High School (Free SHS) education policy in Ghana is a government initiative introduced in the 2017 September presidential administration of Nana Akufo-Addo.
The policy’s origins began as part of the president’s presidential campaign during Ghana’s 2016 election period and have become an essential part of Ghana’s educational system.
The policy’s core themes of access, equity, and equality fulfill the United Nations modified Sustainable Development Goals, where member countries amalgamate those themes in their educational systems to certify adequate learning experiences for students.
Under the new policy, the government covers all fees for students admitted to public senior and vocational high schools, including boarding fees, meals, textbooks, and other charges.
This major policy initiative provides a unique opportunity to study the impact and implementation of secondary school fee abolition in real time.
According to the former MCE, the current NPP government led by President Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo has completely destroyed the education system in Ghana.
In a panel discussion on the Oyerepa Breakfast Show hosted by Nana Yaw Mensah Joel, the former MCE made the point that there are so many issues surrounding the policy, hence destroying the academic structure of the education system in Ghana.
“Look, the Free SHS policy is the most useless policy ever in the history of Ghana as far as education is concerned,” he stated.
Even though it was made known that all expenses regarding the free SHS are fully covered by the government, parents pay a higher amount to make sure that their children are sent to school and also fed well.
“Do you know that amount parents are paying to have their children in various schools? And come to tell us, the government has taken all the financial burdens off parents,” he noted.
He expressed his displeasure with the duration of the academic calendar since the inception of this policy, causing the students to have less time to study in schools.
Source: Oyerepafmonline.com/Nana Freduah Agyemang Derrick
