NDC calls for Free SHS policy
We won't roll back on Free SHS, says Finance Minister
Former Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana, Professor Emmanuel Asante, has parried assertions that the call for a review of the government's Free Senior High School policy equates to a call for a cancellation of the policy.
According to Prof Asante, there is a legitimate need to review the policy; however, it should be approached with broader stakeholder involvement.
"You can look at that programme and say, 'I'm reviewing it in this sense.
"I think some time ago when the thing was going to be implemented, one prominent personality did say that we do it in such a way that those who have the means would make a contribution. Is it possible to review the programme by looking at it that way, or do we simply throw it off that? 'No, it is not necessary?'"
"Because, once some people really need that help, there are some other people who may be able to pay for their children's school fees and all that," Prof Asante stated on the Class Morning show aired on Wednesday, March 30, 2022.
He said, "So, if I talk about review, review wouldn't mean cancel it, but looking at it critically, and this is something that will call for multiparty discussions bringing in different groups.
"It is not a question of one party sitting somewhere so that the other party will oppose," Prof Asante added.
The opposition National Democratic Congress in the lead up to the 2020 general elections, promised to review the Free SHS policy if the party is elected into power.
While the opposition argued for a need to review the policy to adjust to the nation's financial standing, the ruling New Patriotic Party, on the other hand, equated the NDC's position to a call for the cancellation of the policy.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atto, speaking in parliament recently, emphasized that the government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has no plans to "rollback on the Free SHS policy."
Former Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana, Professor Emmanuel Asante