Kwame Sefa Kayi, the host of Peace FM’s Kokrokoo program, has called for an assessment of the government’s flagship Free Senior High School program.
Sefa Kayi on his show opined that half a decade after the initiative was introduced by the government, it has become necessary for a comprehensive review of the program.
He noted that government and stakeholders in the education sector need to deliberate on fine-tuning aspects of the program.
He recommended changes to the program, urging government to pay only tuition fees and leave the other aspects to the parents, particularly those with wards in boarding schools.
The board member of the National Petroleum Authority said that government needs to cut expenditures on items such past questions, uniforms, among others.
“It’s been five years since we rolled out the Free SHS program, I don’t understand why we’ve not done any review on it. How can someone who stays at East Legon and has his or child at Achimota be made not pay school fees. We can make tuition free but charge those at boarding houses.
“My opinion is that government should pay for tuition and library fee and those things but those who want boarding school must pay. How can government be buying school uniforms, exercise books, past questions. Have you heard some before? Do we buy past questions?” he said.
The Free SHS program was introduced by the Akufo-Addo government upon assumption of office in 2017.
But the initiative faces threat of being cancelled if the Electronic Levy is not passed, according to some government communicators.
The Member of Parliament for New Juaben South stated on Metro TV that government would be forced to scrap the program if the E-levy is not passed by Parliament.
“If we don’t pay the E-levy and we have go to the World Bank or the IMF for loans, they will ask Akufo-Addo to cancel the free SHS which will affect your children so you must all accept the E-levy and pay it so it helps all of us,” Okyere Baafi told members of his constituency in a video played on Good Morning Ghana.
