Akufo-Addo claps back at GBA president: Free SHS stays free for all
President Akufo-Addo has defended the Free SHS policy, stating that it was designed to ensure equal access to education for all Ghanaian children, regardless of financial background. He said the policy has significantly increased access to secondary education, with enrolment doubling since its introduction. At the ongoing Bar Conference at the Kwame Nkrumah University of … The post Akufo-Addo claps back at GBA president: Free SHS stays free for all appeared first on Asaase Radio.
President Akufo-Addo has defended the Free SHS policy, stating that it was designed to ensure equal access to education for all Ghanaian children, regardless of financial background.
He said the policy has significantly increased access to secondary education, with enrolment doubling since its introduction.
At the ongoing Bar Conference at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Yaw Acheampong Boafo, president of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) maintained that the Free SHS policy must make room for wealthier families to pay fees.
He suggested that the policy should be means-tested using data from the National Identification Authority (NIA), allowing only those from underprivileged backgrounds to benefit.
“Students from comfortable backgrounds who attended expensive basic schools must pay fees at the senior high school level so that resources are free to fully cater for the poor. Mr. President, we must invest more in ‘syto’ (public schools) education, eliminate schools under trees, and provide sanitary pads for poor young girls first before spending so much on secondary education.
“As one comes before two, so basic education comes before secondary education. There is also this recent revelation about the school feeding programme from the Auditor General, which should serve as a source of concern for us and call for review and improvements in the operations of the programme, the main beneficiaries of which are people from poor backgrounds,” Boafo stated.
However, President Akufo-Addo argued that the policy should remain inclusive and not discriminate between wealthier and poorer families.
“The Free SHS programme has allowed over 5.7 million students to access education, many of whom would otherwise be unable to afford it,” the president said.
“People who can afford to pay fees for their children’s education often send them to private schools, while public schools should remain free for those who need it most,” he said.
Reporting By Jonathan Ofori, Asaase Newsroom, Kumasi
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The post Akufo-Addo claps back at GBA president: Free SHS stays free for all appeared first on Asaase Radio.
