By Joyceline Natally Cudjoe
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| TRADE UNION CONGRESS |
The Trades Union Congress
(TUC) has commended the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo for improving the
standard of education in the country through the Free Senior High School policy.
According to them the
government’s flagship programme was one of a kind since the independence of Ghana.
“This is the most
important social intervention programme that has been implemented in our
country since independence,” the statement said.
The statement which was signed
by the Secretary General, Yaw Baah, said the free SHS policy was effective and
equitable way of the government in ensuring every Ghanaian child reach the
highest level of their education.
“We believe it is the
most equitable way to distribute the country’s resources to all Ghanaians
regardless of their socio-economic background,” the TUC said in a statement.
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The TUC noted that the
Free SHS programme would provide immense opportunities for the youth and it would
increase the pool of educated young Ghanaians in the labour market.
The statement further
stated that the policy would propel the country’s development adding that
government should work hard in creating jobs as promised in his manifesto.
The TUC however promised
it outfit support to ensure quality education under the free SHS policy is
improved.
More than eight years
after it was touted by the New Patriotic Party as a major policy decision that
could propel the country’s development, the free Senior High School programme
kick-started last week Monday.
About 400,000 students
are expected to benefit from the education policy that will exempt them from
paying for tuition and other fees.
Read the full statement
from the TUC on the education policy below.
The
Implementation of the Free Senior High School Education
On Tuesday, 13th
September, 2017, the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo,
officially launched the Free Senior High School Programme.
Information from the
Ghana Education Service (GES) indicates that more than 400,000 BECE candidates
have successfully been placed into various Senior High Schools (SHS) across the
country. According to the Ministries of Education and Finance, half of the
amount needed to fund the Free SHS programme for the current academic year has
been released to the schools with assurance that the remainder would be
disbursed by mid-term.
The TUC would like to
commend the President and his government for keeping one of NPP’s campaign
promises. We are particularly impressed with the careful planning and rigour
with which the various government ministries and agencies have gone about the
implementation of the programme.
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We would like to assure
the government of our support for the Free SHS programme. This is the most
important social intervention programme that has been implemented in our
country since independence. We believe it is the most equitable way to
distribute the country’s resources to all Ghanaians regardless of their
socio-economic background. We agree fully with President Nana Akufo-Addo’s
statement that “the cost of providing free secondary school education would be
cheaper than the alternative of an uneducated and unskilled workforce…”
Data from Ghana
Statistical Service (GSS) show that only 15 percent of all Ghanaians who are 15
years or older had attained secondary education or higher. The statistics
further indicate that 19.5 percent of Ghanaians have never attended school;
44.6 percent did not complete MSLC/BECE, and only 20.9 percent completed
MSLC/BECE. After 60 years of independence, these statistics are not only
shameful, but they are also a barrier to sustainable and inclusive development.
We expect the Free SHS
programme to dramatically improve access to education in all parts of the
country. But we should not end there. The government should address all other
related issues and to ensure that quality of education improves.
The Free SHS programme
provides immense opportunities for young people. The programme will increase
the pool of educated young Ghanaians in the labour market. It will also
increase the number of students seeking a university education. Harnessing
these opportunities will depend on the preparations we make today. The
challenges with job creation need to be addressed to ensure that Free SHS does
not produce a pool of educated and frustrated young people. That will be costly
for the country. The only way the cost of Free SHS will pay for itself will be
to put beneficiary Ghanaians to productive work. Additionally, the government
should begin to think of expanding infrastructure at the country’s universities
to ensure that the universities ca
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