After years of opposing the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, former President John Dramani Mahama has finally admitted that the Akufo-Addo government’s flagship education programme has been successfully implemented.
The opposition leader stated that with the effective implementation of the Free SHS, a new National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, if elected, will address the policy’s challenges head on.
Speaking at a public lecture at Wisconsin International University College (WIUC-Ghana) in Accra, Mr. Mahama said the policy’s challenges would be resolved within the first 100 days of taking office.
Despite what some New Patriotic Party (NPP) executives have described as mere rhetoric, Mr. Mahama indicated that the next NDC government will hold a stakeholder consultative engagement to discuss the challenges facing the educational sector in general, with a particular emphasis on improving the implementation of the Free SHS policy.
“This stakeholder engagement will discuss basic, secondary, and tertiary, but with emphasis on improving the implementation of free secondary education. Through this stakeholder dialogue, we will collectively devise strategies to improve the programme,” he added.
The NDC flagbearer continued that his government would abolish the double track system by constructing more E-Blocks and Community Day Schools in high-density parts of the country to accommodate the growing student population.
“We will also provide dormitory blocks so that children who come from outside the community can get a place to stay while they learn,” Mr. Mahama said.
He also promised to provide furniture to basic schools, noting that 2.3 million students do not have access to desks for learning.
“They either sit on the bare floor or cement blocks or their stomach during studies. This number represents 40 percent of the total number of children in basic schools,” he asserted.
The NDC flagbearer again promised to abolish stand-alone STEM schools and establish six new universities across the newly created regions as well as offer scholarships to brilliant but needy students.
Prof. Obeng Mireku, President of WIUC-Ghana, stated that Ghanaians must maintain their dedication to service and lend their skills to improve society.
“I urge technocrats and academics alive to heed the call to serve in Ghana despite the hazards and challenges that may accompany such endeavours. Our nation requires the expertise, innovation, and dedication you possess to navigate through complex issues to drive meaningful change,” he said.
He urged the students to engage in political discourse to hold political leaders accountable.
“Let us demand transparency, integrity, and commitment to the promises,” he added.
Source: dailyguidenetwork.com
