President Nana Akufo-Addo has urged the Muslim community to wholly embrace the free Senior High School educational policy which will take off in the upcoming academic year in September 2017.
“…The prophet Mohammed is reported to have said that ‘knowledge is the last property of the believer, let him or her find it wherever he or she will.’ I believe the Muslim should embrace this policy because it allows the fulfillment of prophetic admonishment.”
[contextly_sidebar id=”Edbuwpg2ievgz9MTdJmjgQt1IfFjmEFm”]“It allows us to enlighten our communities and bring illumination to our society. It allows us to guarantee a future for our children and our country,” added Akufo-Addo when he addressed hundreds of Muslims at the Black Stars Square on Friday as part of activities marking the 2017 Eid ul-Adha festival.
He explained that Ghanaians will be in a better place to practice their religion if educated.
Akufo-Addo also said the free SHS policy will help parents who hitherto could not afford school fees due to poverty to enroll their wards.
“We are in a better place to practice our religion if we are educated. The free Senior High School policy eliminates one of the major barriers to seeking secondary education; poverty. It is my fervent belief that it is an educated population that can accelerate the development of our country.”
President Akufo-Addo also used the opportunity to encourage Muslim parents to enroll their daughters in school.
“I cannot end my statement without urging the education of the Muslim girl or woman. We must take the education of the girl child seriously” he said adding that “we shall be perpetuating, ignorance, poverty and disease if the trainers of generations of Ghanaians remain uneducated.”
The Free SHS programme, scheduled to start in September 2017, will ensure that government absorbs the full cost of public secondary education.
Under the free SHS policy, beneficiaries will not have to pay admission fees, library fees, science centre fees, computer lab fees, examination fees and utility fees, according to the government.
The free SHS policy will also cover agricultural, vocational and technical institutions at the secondary school level.
The Ministry of Education, in June 2017, also unveiled Ghanaian actor, Abraham Attah, as an ambassador for the Free SHS policy.
President Akufo-Addo on Thursday unveiled a logo for the free SHS programme.
The logo was unveiled by President Nana Akufo-Addo, during a ceremony at the Flagstaff House on Thursday.
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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin