The Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, has stated that Cabinet has accepted a plan to make senior high school education free and mandatory.
According to him, this law would offer legal support for the policy.
Speaking at the “State of Education in Ghana” program, Dr. Adutwum stated that the effort is a crucial step in formalising and sustaining the Free SHS policy.
“When you hear of us talking about free compulsory universal secondary education and the enactment of an act to guide and protect free secondary education, we are talking about ensuring that no child has a choice to say, ‘I will not go to secondary school.’
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“Cabinet has approved the proposal to enact the law that will ensure free and compulsory universal secondary education,” he stressed.
The Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe also cited the Free SHS policy as a revolutionary program that has registered 1.4 million children since its implementation in 2017.
“Before the introduction of free secondary school education, a little over eight hundred thousand students were enrolled in senior high schools, today, it is 1.4 million plus. This is a great accomplishment.”
Background
Last month, the majority in Parliament revealed that the government is preparing to present a Free Senior High School Bill.
This law seeks to make the free SHS policy obligatory on subsequent administrations.
Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader, revealed this at a press event before of Parliament’s return from recess on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.
He stated that a finalized law is ready for introduction by Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum.
According to him, the measure is intended to prevent any government from seeking to reverse the policy.
The Majority Leader stressed that “if we consider it [Free SHS bill] as a House, what that means is that it becomes mandatory for governments to implement this.”
“Unless it is repealed, no government would have the right to say, I am not going to enforce Free SHS because now it is law, so if you fail, a citizen can apply to the court and the court can exact justice in that citizen’s favour,” added the official.
