The Information Minister has pleaded with Ghanaians to bear with the government on the challenges that have come up since the implementation of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
Mustapha Hamid said the problems are largely due to over admission of first-year students across the country.
Speaking with members of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) at a town hall meeting Monday, Mr. Hamid was confident that with the measures the government is putting up, the problems will soon be a thing of the past.
“Nobody accumulates their children’s school fees before they begin giving birth. We all give birth and struggle to take care of our children term by term.
“Every term you struggle, ‘this term where am I going to find school fees for this child?’ You hustle then you find it and then go. When they are vacating your heart starts beating again saying ‘another term has come’.
“Our fathers have done all that and then we have finished university, Masters, etcetera and we are who we are. So I am begging the Ghanaian people that let us bear with the challenges of Free SHS,” he said.
According to the Minister, over 10,000 Junior High School leavers were not getting admission to the SHS in the past because their parents were unable to pay the bills.
But when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) rolled out its flagship programme, all the students took advantage of the policy thereby creating numerous problems such as overcrowding, Mr Hamid said.
The Minority in Parliament has predicted a collapse of the country’s SHS education in five years if the challenges under the policy are not fixed.
The opposition lawmakers say the challenges bedeviling SHS education under Akufo-Addo’s policy are overwhelming and will cripple the schools soon.
In September this year, the government rolled out its lead campaign promise during the 2016 campaign.
A little over two months after the implementation of the policy, there has been a number of challenges being recorded at some of the schools.
Even though the free SHS policy increased school enrolment in all Schools across the country, it came with its attendant infrastructural challenges.
But the Information Minister has charged Ghanaians not to allow themselves to be deceived to call for the cancellation of the policy because of the challenges.
“I beg you if we cancel it and continue the way that we used to have it, this country it will never develop,” he said.
Source: myjoyonline
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What a jerk. What does this guy know about human and national development. The ndc and npp are the most inept political parties in ghana with the most incompetent politicians. Was the so called free shs meant for political expediency or the development of the country. How can one implement a policy half-baked without the necessary infrastructure. If time is of the essence, why couldn't the country has a national plan and build the necessary infrastructure regardless of what party is in power before the implementation of this fiasco. With poor sanitation and lack of adequate infrastructure and competent personnel to manage the program , one can only see and perceive failure. With poor diet, poor health, poor renumeration of teachers and staff, the npp government already set the stage for failure. With such overcrowding in overstretched facilities, one can only massive health concerns as we are witnessing now. No formidable plan in place. With such overcrowding one can only perceive that a true program must accomodate vaccination and other health measures before admission takes place. The rush implementation of this failed program has sent students to face health crises.The government cannot pull back now because it will create embarrassment and political suicide. The minister of information is demonstrating ineptitude, ignorance and incompetence. He must resign in shame. SHS students are facing serious crises that poses a threat to national security. This is not a matter of show off or competition between ndc and npp or which ever has the best policy. Ghanaian politicians lack long term planning and strategy. The ndc and npp must all be held accountable for failing the nation.