President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that he disagrees with the viewpoint of some Ghanaian society members who want parents to pay for certain components of the Senior High School (SHS) programme.
The President referred to these individuals as “powerful forces” that wish to derail the program.
He stated this when the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) paid him a visit at the government’s seat in Accra, Jubilee House.
Mr Akufo-Addo said “There are some who are eager to curtail some of these important initiatives like the free Senior High Schools policy. Powerful forces in the society that are against it and insisting that education should be what your parents can afford, [they want parents] to contribute to pay for education, same at the tertiary level but I have a different view, it is a public good, the benefits to the society are obvious.
Former President John Dramani Mahama recently suggested that the free SHS policy must be reviewed.
This occurred after his repeated requests for a policy review.
He proposed that the government hold a national conference of stakeholders to examine the policy.
Former president has encouraged the government to hold a national stakeholder conference to review the policy. he opines that there are so many educational professionals and experts,who will be able and willing to bring the wealth of experience and knowledge and put it at the disposal of government.