Free SHS logo unveiled
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday unveiled a logo of the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme, with a call on Ghanaians to see the initiative as a state legacy instead of a programme of a political party.
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The design of the logo highlights an open book, on which is suspended a sketch of two delighted schoolchildren, leaping in jubilation.
`Underneath the symbol are the three words: Access, Equity, and Quality, boldly inscribed. The highlighted themes underline the principles that will drive the policy, designed to widen access to SHS education.
The President said experiences from developed countries in modern times showed that expedited development was linked to the provision of free public senior high education.
“I believe that when we understand that connection, we will all support this initiative,” the President stressed.
President Akufo-Addo said, like any new initiative, the programme was bound to have some initial glitches, but what was more important was for Ghanaians to appreciate its significance in spearheading the development of the country in the long run.
He, therefore, advised the public not to see the Free SHS programme as a mantra of a political group or a promise being fulfilled by a political party but “as something that goes to the heart of what we need to do to get our country going.”
Recounting that the United States of America (USA) was the first country in the world to institute a system of free public senior secondary education in modern times, President Nana Akufo-Addo said, the USA did its own a century ago, at a time when its level of development was not very much more than that of Ghana.
Education and development
“I hope that all of us in Ghana can see the connection between that event and where America is today as the economic power of the world,” he added.
He said Ghana was endowed with people with abundant talents and creativity capable of affecting the development of the country in many positive ways. He added, however, that what needed to be done was to provide them with the opportunity to express themselves.
“And if that opportunity is provided, I think very, very rapidly, we will see the transformation that all of us want to see in Ghana,” he said.
He expressed the hope that when the free SHS programme was rolled out in two weeks’ time, it would be to the satisfaction of all Ghanaians and that “a day will come when all of us will recognise that this was an important initiative for the future of our country.”
Logo explained
Explaining the composition of the logo, the Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education, Professor Kwesi Yankah, said the design highlighted an open book, on which is suspended a sketch of two delighted schoolchildren leaping in jubilation.
The open book, he said, represented learning that generated hope and optimism for a prosperous Ghana.
The central symbol portrays two children emerging from a pleasurable learning experience, as they spontaneously explode in joy because they are beneficiaries of a policy that lifts the total burden of fees from parents; be it fees for books, meals, use of laboratory, boarding, or school uniforms and others are to be enjoyed free of any cost to parents and guardians.
“The two then have a reason to leap in delight; but their animated mood also represents optimism for a brighter tomorrow,” Prof. Yankah said.
He indicated that the highlighted themes of Access, Equity and Quality underlined the principles that would drive the policy aimed at widening access to SHS education.
Prof. Yankah said equity was a fundamental driver in any social intervention programme and that poverty, gender, and deprivation should no longer be barriers to education.
The government, he said, was eager to ensure a fair and just society where there were equal opportunities for all, irrespective of family circumstances.
He said it was the conviction of the government that the expected expansion of access to education would be achieved without the need to compromise the quality of education.
The free SHS package, he said, came with qualitative instructional material, improvement in school infrastructure, as well as capacity building and teacher motivation.
“The open book stands for learning that is made accessible so others can share; it is the candle that ignites hope for future generations and enables students from diverse backgrounds to study towards transforming lives and uplifting their communities,” he said.
Prof. Yankah said the Free SHS policy would add value to prevailing free primary and junior high school (JHS) policies to make pre-tertiary education a totally free undertaking that should eventually position Ghana to enhance the quality of its human capital to boost national development.
