KEY POINTS
- President Akufo-Addo defends the Free SHS policy, citing increased access for underprivileged students.
- NDC MP Clement Apaak criticizes the policy’s implementation and lack of parental praise.
- Akufo-Addo urges wealthier parents to enrol their children in private schools.
The Free SHS policy, one of the government’s flagship programmes has recently come under serious criticism.
However, President Nana Akufo-Addo defended the policy. Delivering the keynote address at the 2024 Ghana Bar Association, in Kumasi, Akufo-Addo praised the policy’s positive impact on underprivileged children who couldn’t afford secondary education.
The president noted that school enrolments have gone up, attributing it to the implementation of the Free SHS. He further added that the policy has made it possible for many more students to have access to education.
He also urged parents who can afford to pay for the education of their children to take them to paying schools so as to give more room to the underprivileged children who really need the opportunity.
“Public schools, funded by the taxpayer, should be free to all who would otherwise be unable to pay for their education,” Akufo-Addo stated.
However, his remarks attracted a stern rebuke from Dr. Clement Apaak, who is, a Deputy Ranking Member of the Education Committee, and also a Campaign Spokesperson for John Dramani Mahama. Apaak disagreed with the president, saying that Akufo-Addo was irritated because people were not appreciative of the Free SHS policy. According to Apaak, many parents no longer have faith in the program, due to several implementation difficulties which the government has not been able to resolve.
According to a report by Ghana Web, Apaak also accused Akufo-Addo of using the Free SHS policy as a political tool by employing resources which belong to all Ghanaians including the oil revenue and taxes to fund the implementation of the Free SHS policy. He also pointed out the poor quality of food served to students under the policy.
“Parents are taxpayers and have every right to criticize the implementation of the policy,” Apaak said. He also highlighted that many families have been let down by the administration’s inability to solve the challenges faced by poor parents during enrolment.
