The outspoken managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr has taken a swipe at the Nana Akufo-Addo government over the partial implementation of the free Senior High School policy.
Kwesi Pratt said government must explain why only first year SHS students are going to enjoy the new educational policy since it contradicts the promises made by Akufo-Addo.
[contextly_sidebar id=”2GUOpWRgYuZSubtmAealHcWn3XtPluS4″]“What the NPP promised was free education for all students of the senior high school not the 1st year and not the second years but all students of the senior high school. It is possible that this is the beginning and that subsequently, second years and third years will be added on. But as at now the promise of making education free for all students of senior high school has not been achieved.”
While speaking on Radio Gold’s Alhaji and Alhaji programme on Saturday, Mr. Pratt said it is in the interest of government to let the policy cover continuing students because “some parents of second and third year believe that their children are going to enjoy free education and if it is not explained, it will create problems for the headmasters and headmistresses.”
NPP 2016 manifesto promise
President Nana Akufo-Addo in his 2016 manifesto stated emphatically that his government will “redefine basic education to include Senior High School (SHS), covering vocational, agricultural and technical schools, and make it available for free on a universal basis to all Ghanaians.”
But it seems the current mode of implementation is far from what was captured in the manifesto as government will begin rolling out the free SHS policy on Tuesday, September 12, 2017.
Over 400,000 fresh students are expected to benefit from the programme nationwide.
Whereas over 380,000 students have successfully been posted to the various High Schools in the country, over 30,000 are yet to be placed because of challenges with the online placement portal.
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By: Godwin Akweiteh/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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