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In order to address the plethora of issues hurting the Free Senior High School program, former President John Dramani Mahama has said that the next National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration will review the policy within its first 100 days in office.
During a meeting with the Trade Union Congress (TUC) leadership on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023, in Accra, former President Mahama stated that the policy needed to be reviewed due to its numerous issues.
Improving the policy, he said, will be one of the top priorities of the NDC government if elected.
One of the government’s main initiatives, the policy gives all eligible students the chance to pursue a senior high school education.
The large number of pupils, the two-system it required, and the insufficient food supply to feed the swarming kids have all led to criticisms of it in recent times.
“Within the first 100 days in government, we will convene a stakeholder summit that brings together educationists, experts, teachers, parents, students and opinion leaders to deliberate on how to improve the implementation of the Free SHS system and also improve the quality of our basic education,” Mr Mahama stated.
“We will return Ghana to the regional exams conducted by the West African Examinations Council so that it will be possible to compare the performance of our children with our English-speaking neighbours in the sub-region,” the 2024 flagbearer of the NDC said.
He said that since basic education served as the nation’s educational cornerstone, it needed to be well-founded.
The former president went on to say that the nation would send its pupils for evaluation within the regional bloc back to the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC).
According to Mr. Mahama, the system in place, which allowed students to write exams that were set locally for domestic students without having to take a WAEC exam, was insufficiently beneficial because it did not accurately reflect how well the students performed in comparison to those in other nearby nations.
Former Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, has also declared his intention to review the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy if he is elected President in the 2024 elections.
While he applauded the NPP government’s efforts to increase access to education through the Free SHS policy, Mr. Kyerematen stated in a Tuesday interview on UTV that it is crucial to examine the policy after seven years of implementation.Mr. Kyerematen continued by outlining his goals for the education sector and emphasized the need for a thorough examination of the Free SHS policy.
“I will review Free SHS, we have done it for seven years, You cannot implement a programme for seven and not review it, so when I come there will be a comprehensive review of the free SHS. The original idea is good and I commend Akufo-Addo for it, but it has to be reviewed,” Mr Kyerematen said.
He continued by saying that his administration would uphold and improve the standard of education that kids receive in addition to making sure the policy ensures their access to education.
Mr. Kyerematen went into further detail about his ideas, emphasizing the need for more funding for curriculum development, teacher preparation, and infrastructure.
He emphasized the significance of developing a comprehensive educational program that equips pupils for real-world as well as intellectual problems.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
