Ashesi's Founder Defends Free SHS Policy, Says Initiative Must Be Maintained And Improved

• Patrick Awuah Jnr, founder and president of Ashesi University, has opposed calls for the cancellation of the free SHS policy
• According to him, critics of the policy should be interested in maintaining and improving the policy rather than ending it
• Explaining his reasoning, Awuah Jnr said there was a strong correlation between the GDP and secondary school education

The Founder and President of Ashesi University, Patrick Awuah Jnr, has voiced his strong opposition to calls for the cancellation of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.

According to him, any such consideration should be immediately dismissed and disregarded.

In an interview on Channel One TV, Awuah Jnr stated that the Free SHS policy must be preserved.

He said the 1992 constitution of Ghana had mandated the establishment of progressively free senior high education.

According to Awuah Jnr, the framers of the Constitution were acutely aware of the significance of secondary school education to the growth of Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and they prescribed it for the country.

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He said that while the Free SHS programme had not been implemented progressively as the constitution had prescribed, leading to several challenges with the current system, it still does not warrant calls for cancellation.

He also said that the government's failure to fully analyse the system through progressive implementation did not reduce the viability of the established initiative.

He added that now that the deed has been done, the ongoing conversation should focus on improving the quality of education provided by these schools.

Awuah Jnr noted that political parties and presidential aspirants should promote their programmes to enhance the services and resources available to students, improve the quality of education, and prepare students for the job market.

Mahama promises to maintain free SHS

Meanwhile, National Democratic Congress flagbearer John Mahama has affirmed his commitment to the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.

In an engagement with journalists, the presidential candidate promised to improve it if he is re-elected as president.

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“The Free SHS policy has come to stay, and I am committed to improving it,” the former President said.

He once again debunked claims that he was against the policy and insisted he only wanted to improve it to deal with present challenges.

Ursula Owusu-Ekuful defends free SHS

YEN.com.gh reported that the Minister for Communications and Digitalisation has staunchly defended the Free SHS programme.

Speaking on Pure FM, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful argued that the concerns raised about the free education programme are unfounded.

The Minister maintained that providing free secondary education remained fundamental to solving Ghana's challenges.

Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh