The Coalition for Democratic Governance (CDG) observes that practical and pragmatic free education is a provision in the 1992 constitution. The constitution however, emphasizes that the SHS education should be progressively free.
In September 2017, the NPP Government rolled out its lead campaign promise, the free SHS;
1. without recourse to the limitations of the constitutional clause,
2. without stake holder involvement,
3. without conceptualizing the risk, monitoring and implementation on pilot basis,
4. without considering overcrowding due to increases in population growth,
5. without increasing infrastructure to correspond to increases in numbers,
6. Without considering the health risks likely to come up should numbers exceed limited infrastructure,
7. Without considering the absolute financial cost and its long term sustainability.
This was not surprising, because the President had much earlier told Ghanaians, that he is in a hurry to carry out his campaign promises ; a precursor to the unprofessional manner he was going to run the country. As a result of bad planning, lack of policy guide lines, confused and uncoordinated implementation, the free SHS, a little over two months after its implementation is facing structural defects and challenges.
There are serious challenges, recorded in many of the schools, including Damango SHS and some SHS in the Eastern Region. The Headmasters are silent for fear of intimidation. The free SHS has massively increased enrollment which cannot be sustained by the existing limited infrastructure. Generally, high enrollment with inadequate infrastructure, leads to overcrowding. In our SHS, system, we have four hundred and seventy five (475) SHS with about 500 students in each school. This gives two hundred and thirty seven thousand and five hundred ( 237,500) students under overcrowding condition due to inadequate infrastructure.
This write up, seeks to point out flaws in implementation, and to address the poor and unacceptable health conditions which is the result of these flaws. The CDG calls on the MOH, GHS and MMDAs forthwith :
a. to activate or set up infirmary in all the SHS with facilities for doctors and nurses
b. to detect early symptoms of diseases and to prompt management and referral hospitals,
c. to adequately resource the infirmary,
d. to provide free health care for SHS students,
e. to actively monitor all cases of meningitis and H1N1; focusing on key symptoms,
f. to vaccinate all SHS students against identified diseases such as H1N1 and meningitis
g. to intensify Public Education,
h. to ventilate and decongest the classrooms and dormitories.
The causal relationship between overcrowded SHSs and the ever increasing deaths in the SHSs has been established and proved. Our condolences go to about ten students from Kumasi Academy, who died from meningitis and H1N1 flu. In our view, all remaining students have to be vaccinated including those living in Asokore, Mamapong, Parkoso and Sepa communities all in the Ashanti Region.
Similarly, our condolences go to the Koforidua SECTECH student, who also died of meningitis and wish the twenty others under surveillance well. These are but only a few of the many students in our SHSs suffering under terrible conditions as a result of the free SHS; not to forget those who defecate into rubber bags because there are no latrines.
Source: Dr. E. K. Hayford, Chief Convener for CDG
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FREE SHS IS THE BEST PRO-POOR PROGRAM IN GHANA, HOW COULD THE COUNTRY SUCCEED WITHOUT EDUCATION ? IS BETTER FOR GHANAIANS TO SUPPORT THE GOVERNMENT TO SUCCEED. NDC DON'T WISH THE COUNTRY WELL AT ALL MEANWHILE MAJORITY OF THEIR LEADERS ENJOYED FREE SHS IN THE 3 NORTHERN REGION INCLUDING JOHN MAHAMA, SO WHY ARE THEY OPPOSING THE PROGRAM ?I SEE IT AS A SHEER WICKEDNESS.
Is it not ndc chemical attacks that killed those students?*****with the symptoms like swine flu.
Ndcfuo get the hell out of our faces nation wreckers. Did Osagyefo build infrastructure first before his free education for the North? whether so called progressively or infrastructure free SHS has come to stay Mo besu ara awu! Who brought the death? Is it not the ndc chivalry attack because of power, because of politics you've killed these innocent kids just to make the programme and government unpopular but it has hit a snag by hitting you hard on your faces because those regions you started are strong hold of the NPP and they think differently from your wicked minds and they know no other but the ndc did that which will rather make your party very unpopular. Why would you ndc come first to condemn out of hate for the free SHS and make all sorts of wicked and evil comments to hurt the bereaved families the more? this your write ups and comments to hurt those families because Ashanti and Eastern voted heavily against you won't make any difference for votes because they know ndc used chemical attack to kill those kids and turned round to mock them by accusing the government rather than wishing them condolences They were all in Ghana and saw the calamities that befell the country during ndc era but now they are pretending nothing happened everything was well during their time and if all was well why did they vote so massively and humiliating to send you to opposition something unprecedented in the forth republic? If the people like you and are ready for you ,you will know it not that so called unity walk of conveying your own supporters from places to join and handing out ghc50.00 and ghc100.00 for that walk, who are you deceiving? From your own other contestants those guys who joined that walk are unemployed so had time to do that for money Ghanaians are dissatisfied with the ndc and don't want nothing ndc and will vote against the ndc 100× to keep that wicked party in opposition. Ndc is no option for Ghana, the ppp and cpp families must merge to replace that party for demons. You