Free SHS: Education Ministry Dismisses Former Univerity of Ghana Vice Chancellor's 'Discriminatory' Proposals

• The Education Ministry has said proposals by Ivan Prof Addae-Mensah for the Free SHS are discriminatory
• The Education Ministry said Prof Addae-Mensah's proposal to review the policy to allow parents who can afford fees is against the constitution
• Prof Addae-Mensah had said that the education policy was ineffective and too much of a burden on the economy

The Ministry of Education has dismissed proposals by a former vice-chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah, on the free SHS as discriminatory.

Prof Addae-Mensah had said that the Free Senior High School policy, a top government flagship education programme, was a disservice in its current form.

According to the respected academic, the free SHS programme was ineffective and burdened the economy.

Prof Addae-Mensah told Joy News that it would be best for the policy to be revised to allow parents who can pay the fees for the wards enrolled in public senior high schools to do so.

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However, in a lengthy rebuttal yesterday, the Deputy PRO for the Education Ministry, Yaw Opoku Mensah, said the professor's suggestions were untenable and flouted the constitutional provision that states that education must be a right for all citizens of school age.

"The idea of the Former Vice-Chancellor of UG, which encapsulates that those who can afford to pay the fees of their wards should be allowed to do so, only gives rise to these questions, how can we differentiate between the rich and poor?" Mr Mensah quizzed.

The deputy PRO stated further that Prof Addae-Mensah's opinion on the Free SHS programme "tends to discriminate against the poor."

"It only has the tendency to establish a discriminatory education system. A system that considers only the wealthy," he stressed.

Mr Mensah signed off his response to Prof Addae-Mensah with a firm assurance that despite the challenges with the free SHS policy, "it has come to stay and surges on strongly."

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Meanwhile, Prof Addae-Mensah's proposals echo many others, including President Nana Akufo-Addo's own finance minister.

The Free SHS policy is among the current government's revenue guzzling flagship programmes.

A whopping GH¢3.2 billion has been spent to implement the education policy, according to Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.

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Beginning April 1, 2022, the price of sachet water will sell at a slightly increased price of 40p, while a bag sells for GH¢8, the association of packaged water producers has announced.

The National Association of Sachet and Packaged Water Producers (NASPAWAP) said input cost, especially machine parts, has increased due to inflation and the cedi's fall.

President of the Association, Magnus Nunoo, has said the prices of packaging materials, mainly imported and produced from petroleum sources, have gone up significantly.

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Source: YEN.com.gh