President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has charged the first batch of the free Senior High School policy beneficiaries who are now in the second year to do him proud by delivering good results in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
Senior high schools in the Oti and Volta regions have witnessed a 38% rise in enrolment following the implementation of the Free Senior High School.
A good result from the pioneering batch according to the President will prove to the critics of the policy that Ghanaians are ready to take advantage of the free SHS policy to enhance the quality of the country’s human resource. The president made the call during an interaction with the teachers and students of the Ntrubuman Senior High School in Breweneasi in the Nkwanta south district as part of his two-day working visit to the Oti Region.
“You have a big responsibility, to make sure that this free senior high school concept comes to stay and all Ghanaians buy into it. Those of you who will go next year to take the exams will be the first of the free senior high school generation to take the exams. My prayer is that the exams the result of the exams will show that Ghanaians are right to embrace the free senior high school concept. You are the pioneers, don’t let the school down and shame all those people who didn’t want you to have the free senior high school,” he said.
Last month, former President John Mahama made claims that parents will soon start losing faith in the public senior high school system because of the drop in quality with the introduction of the free SHS programme.
The office of former President John Mahama later refuted claims that Mahama was working against the free Senior High School policy.
A statement signed by Joyce Bawa Mogtari, Special Aide to the former President clarified that Mahama has never been against the free SHS policy.
“Mr. Mahama has never been against free SHS, and nowhere has he ever said free SHS is a bad policy. Certainly, the President who implemented Progressively Free SHS for over 350,000 students cannot be said to be against free SHS.”
