The double-track system being implemented to accommodate all students in the Free SHS programme is forcing some female students into prostitution and their male colleagues into armed robbery, Bolgatanga Central MP Isaac Adongo has said.
The double-track system allows different batches of students to go to school intermittently for two months and go on vacation for another two months.
According to the opposition MP, the two-month lull is exposing the students to a lot of social vices.
He told Class FM Thursday, 14 November 2019 that: “My daughter only recently got enrolled into the SHS programme; she went to school and just before I could blink, she’s back home. Just two months or less, she’s back home. I am compelled now to spend an average of GHS500 GHS1,000 a month in order to provide her tuition and to keep her away from the streets”.
“I probably have the resources to do that. Can you compare that amount of money I’m spending just for a holiday of just about six, seven weeks after my child was trained for just a period of six weeks? What can my child considerably learn in six weeks?” he wondered.
“And this is the kind of education [she is getting]”, noting: “I am even fortunate my child happens to be in the boarding school; for some of them, they are pulling out money that is costing more than the Free SHS to provide accommodation, get transport for these kids to go to school and in the end of it, they don’t even have supervision over their children”.
“Their children”, he said, “Are learning to become armed robbers, to become prostitutes just because an old man of 74 years decided to sacrifice the future of our children”.
“And it is the reason why when the NDC comes back to power, we would make sure that we review this policy and teach Akufo-Addo how to do Free SHS and do it properly so that our children are put away from harm’s way and that our children will have proper training and parents will truly stay away from pulling money from their pockets to take care of their children without supervision over them”, Mr Adongo said.
Just recently, the Minority in Parliament alleged that 1,433 students had become pregnant as a result of the Free SHS.