Free SHS is for the needy not the wealthy - Akufo-Addo

Kumasi, Ghana - September 9, 2024 - President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has clarified that the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy is intended for disadvantaged students, while families who can afford private education should enroll their children in fee-paying schools.

Addressing the Ghana Bar Association's conference, Akufo-Addo stressed that taxpayer-funded public schools should cater to those who cannot afford secondary education, ensuring equal access for all.

This statement comes amid debates about the policy's financial sustainability and calls for targeting beneficiaries.

“People who can afford to pay fees for the education of their wards should send them to fee-paying private schools. Public schools that are funded by the taxpayer should be free to all who will otherwise be unable to pay for their education.'' Akufo-Addo stated.

“That is why the number of pupils who have access to secondary education has doubled since the introduction of the free senior high school policy.”

“Over 5.7 million persons have benefitted from the policy since its inception. The following impact of this dramatic development will be felt in due course and will far outweigh the small number of privileged parents who can afford to pay for the education of their wards,” President Akufo-Addo added.

The Ghana Bar Association President, Yaw Acheampong Boafo, had earlier urged the government to reconsider the policy, proposing that affluent families pay fees to allow more resources to be directed towards less privileged students.

Akufo-Addo's stance reaffirms the government's commitment to supporting vulnerable students through the FSHS program.

Source : Lead News Online