Free SHS is here to stay — Education Minister
The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has given an assurance that the free SHS initiative introduced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s government has come to stay.
He explained that the introduction of the initiative was to ensure equity, improve accessibility to all Ghanaian children, making sure that money did not become a barrier to accessing education in the country.
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Again, he said “the government will continue to make available the right resources to ensure that all schools have what is required to support effective teaching and learning at all times, irrespective of their location”.
Surprise visits
Dr Adutwum gave the assurance when he paid a surprised visit to some selected schools in the Central Region last Friday to monitor the adherence to the COVID-19 protocols, implementation of the free SHS policy and teaching, learning and assessment.
The Minister, who was on his way to the launch of the five-year strategic plan for the Takoradi Technical University, visited Wesley Girls High School, Academy of Christ the King SHS, Holy Child School and St Augustine's College.
He also used the occasion to donate five pianos to some selected basic schools in the Cape Coast Municipality.
Satisfaction
Dr Adutwum, who was impressed with the activities in the schools, commended the Cape Coast Education Directorate and the staff of the various schools for their hard work and gave the assurance that the government would continue to provide them with resources on time to enhance effective teaching and learning in their schools.
He urged the students to spend much of their time in school studying as well as engaging in activities that stood the chance of preparing them for a brighter future.
Remain focused
The Education Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bosomtwe, charged students to remain focused in school and at home so that they would be able to study hard for the good of their future.
He urged them to let their focus be on their studies which held the key to the development of the country so that the huge investment made in the education sector would not go waste.
Dr Adutwum assured the leadership of the various schools in the region that his ministry would liaise with the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) to find a lasting solution to encroachment of school lands, which was disturbing some schools in the region.
Encroachment
The Central Regional Director of Education, Mrs Martha Owusu-Agyemang, said the major challenge confronting schools in the region was the encroachment of school lands and appealed to the minister to do something about the situation.
She gave an assurance that everything possible would be done to ensure that students in the region continued to work extra hard to maintain its good record in the nation’s education sector.