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 Dr. Anthony Yaw Baah — TUC Boss
Dr. Anthony Yaw Baah — TUC Boss

TUC commends govt for Free SHS Policy

The Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) has applauded the free senior high school (SHS) policy rolled out by the government but wants it to tackle unemployment issues now before it turns into a monster in the form of a pool of educated and frustrated young people in the future.

“The challenges with job creation need to be addressed to ensure that free SHS does not produce a pool of educated and frustrated young people. That will be costly for the country.

“The only way the cost of free SHS will pay for itself will be to put beneficiary Ghanaians to productive work. Additionally, the government should begin to think of expanding infrastructure at the country’s universities to ensure that they can absorb the large number of SHS graduates in the next few years,” a statement issued by the Secretary General of the TUC, Dr Yaw Baah, said.

Background

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on September 13, 2017, officially launched the free SHS policy.

The Ministry of Finance says it has released more than 50 per cent of the funds needed to finance the implementation of the policy.

Some GH¢280 million out of the GH¢486 million required for the flagship programme on education has been released, with an assurance that the remainder will be disbursed by mid-term.

According to the Ghana Education Service (GES), more than 400,000 BECE candidates have successfully been placed in various SHSs across the country.

Impressed

Stating its position on the policy, the TUC commended the President and the government for keeping one of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) campaign promises.

“We are particularly impressed with the careful planning and rigour with which the various government ministries and agencies have gone about the implementation of the programme. 

“We would like to assure the government of our support for the free SHS programme. This is the most important social intervention programme that has been implemented in our country since independence,” it said.

It said the TUC believed that it was the most equitable way to distribute the country’s resources to all Ghanaians, regardless of their socio-economic background.

“We agree fully with President Nana Akufo-Addo’s statement that ‘the cost of providing free secondary school education will be cheaper than the alternative of an uneducated and unskilled workforce…,” the statement said.

Worrying figures

It said data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) showed that only 15 per cent of all Ghanaians 15 years or older had attained secondary education or higher.

 “The statistics further indicate that 19.5 per cent of Ghanaians have never attended school; 44.6 per cent did not complete middle school leaving certificate (MLSC)/Basic Education Certificate Examination and only 20.9 per cent completed MSLC/BECE. After 60 years of independence, these statistics are not only shameful but also a barrier to sustainable and inclusive development.

Improving access

“We expect the free SHS programme to dramatically improve access to education in all parts of the country. But we should not end there. The government should address all other related issues and ensure that quality of education improves.

“The free SHS programme provides immense opportunities for young people. The programme will increase the pool of educated young Ghanaians in the labour market. It will also increase the number of students seeking university education. Harnessing these opportunities will depend on the preparations we make today,” it said.

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