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Mr Michael Adjei-Djan (4th left), President of Class of 87 Okuapeman School presenting a parcel to President Akufo-Addo (right), at the 60th Anniversary Speech and Prize Giving Day of the school. Picture: SAMUEL TEI ADANO
Mr Michael Adjei-Djan (4th left), President of Class of 87 Okuapeman School presenting a parcel to President Akufo-Addo (right), at the 60th Anniversary Speech and Prize Giving Day of the school. Picture: SAMUEL TEI ADANO

Free SHS begins September — Prez Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says the government will begin the implementation of its campaign promise to provide free public senior high school (SHS) education for all eligible Ghanaians from the 2017/2018 academic year.

The free public SHS education, he said, was aimed at building an educated populace for speedy national development and progress.

“By free SHS, we mean that in addition to tuition, which is already free, there will be no admission fees, no library fees, no science centre fees, no computer laboratory fees, no examination fees, no utility fees. There will be free textbooks, free boarding and free meals and day students will get a meal at school for free.

“Free SHS will also cover agricultural, vocational and technical institutions at the high school level,” the President explained, drawing cheers from the gathering.

At the 60th anniversary of the Okuapemman SHS at Akropong Akuapem last Saturday, he said the government had a well thought-out plan that involved the building of new public and cluster SHSs to give more meaning to free public SHS education.

Free SHS was a key campaign promise of the  New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2012 and 2016 general elections.

Nana Akufo-Addo pledged the government’s commitment to renovate and fully equip the Science Resource Centre at the Okuapemman School as a commemorative gesture for the 60th birthday of the school.

Unequivocal commitment

The President said the inability of the country to give all its citizens the kind of education that enabled Western and Asian countries to thrive was the missing link in Ghana’s economic development.

“For this reason, I am committed, without any equivocation, without any reservation, without any doubt, to take Ghana to the stage where public SHS education will be free for every Ghanaian child,” he said.

“I want every Ghanaian child to attend secondary school, not just for what they study in books but for the life experiences that they will gain. I want each of them to look in the mirror in the morning every morning and know that they can achieve anything they dream of when they complete their studies.

“I want them to be confident that what they study is relevant to the demands of today and tomorrow. I want every Ghanaian child to be comfortable in the knowledge that when they work hard, they are as capable as anyone else in the world. And I want parents to look upon their children with pride as they watch them mature into self-confident adults,” he stated.

Exciting time for students

President Nana Akufo-Addo observed that Ghanaian students of today were living in, perhaps, the most exciting times in the country’s history, having grown up under the longest uninterrupted period of democracy and stability in the country’s history.

“This period has also coincided with the longest sustained period of growth in our economy. Despite the challenges we face, democracy has been good for our nation and I am convinced it will be even better still for us. Some say this is our time. I say this is your time, and tomorrow will be the time of your children,” he said.

Touching on plans for teachers, he said a well-trained, confident and contented teacher was at the heart of the government’s delivery of quality education.

Towards that end, he said, the views of teachers would be sought on educational policy, innovation and implementation.

Professional needs of teachers

He said the professional development and needs of teachers would be treated with respect and that the government shall ensure that teachers’ salaries and allowances were paid regularly and on time.

“Teacher trainee allowances, as already announced by the Vice-President, will be restored in the first budget of the Akufo-Addo Presidency scheduled for next month,” he intimated.

In addition, he said his administration would focus on the provision of incentives that would motivate teachers and reward their hard work in the classroom.

“The government will collaborate with GNAT, NAGRAT and other teacher associations to facilitate an affordable housing scheme for teachers. Teachers will be afforded the opportunity to upgrade their qualifications and we aim to make the teaching profession, once again, a proud choice,” the President promised.

Focus on Okuapemman School

In his address, the Headmaster of the Okuapemman School, Mr Daniel Afari, said the school was established on February 8, 1957 by Barrister Maxwell Kwaku Opoku Akyeampong, an illustrious scholar and educationist who was acutely aware of the importance of education to personal and national development.

He said the lawyer decided to establish the school when he realised that there was no second-cycle institution in the Akuapem State.

The school, Mr Afari said, started operating in 1957 with 184 students, made up of 159 boys and 23 girls, adding that today the school could boast a population of 2,361, comprising 1,134 males and 1,227 females.

“The Okuapemman School can boast good academic records and remains one of the best schools in Ghana. Academically, the school has lived up to the expectation of its motto ‘Semper Primus’ – Always First, as students’ academic performance continue to soar,” Mr Afari said with pride.

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