<<Print>>

The Government of Ghana has lifted the financial barriers confronting most parents following the implementation of its free SHS policy, Second Lady Samira Bawumia has revealed.

The Second Lady noted that the policy is somehow a savior because several students who would have become destitutes have been absorbed into various Senior High Schools to enhance their education.

Delivering a speech on behalf of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia at the 68th Speech and Prize giving-day celebration of the T.I Ahamaddiya at Kumasi on Saturday, February 17, 2018, Samira Bawumia disclosed about 90000 students have been enrolled into various schools this year under the project.

"I am pleased to announce that this academic year, about 90,000 more children have taken up their places in Senior High Schools than in previous years, and this, primarily is because we have lifted financial barriers with the implementation of the Free Senior High School policy".

Due to the high number of student enrolment, she reiterated the significance in expanding the "physical infrastructure in our senior high schools in order to accommodate the anticipated rise of student numbers in the coming years".

Mrs. Bawumia outlined some government's interventions to provide quality education in the country saying "...government is focused on its vision of ensuring that quality education becomes accessible to all our children, irrespective of their social or financial circumstances. We believe education is the bedrock upon which every nation’s growth and development is anchored. Our human resource capital is our greatest asset, and we have a duty to capitalize on that for the ultimate benefit of our society.

"It is this core belief that drives government’s Free SHS policy, which was rolled out in September 2017 at the start of the 2017/18 academic year. Inevitably, the Free SHS policy means an increase in the number of children accessing senior high school education, for the simple reason that children who would otherwise have stayed at home because of the financial barriers to senior high school education, now have a chance to change their destiny...Under the Secondary Education Improvement Project (SEIP), government has successfully negotiated an additional $40m from the World Bank to expand the project to include facilities upgrade in 75 senior high schools in the country".

She also stated, as part of measures to expand infrastructure in various Senior High Schools, the government will therefore construct a Girl's dormitory and Staff accommodation for T.I Ahamaddiya SHS and in addition, a 60-seater bus will be provided to ease the transportation challenges confronting the school.

"I am glad to note that the implementation of the Free SHS policy is going on very well in this school; as per the monitoring exercise recently undertaken on senior high schools...I have noted the requests for the provision of a 60-Seater Bus, a Girls’ Dormitory and Staff Accommodation. I want to promise you on behalf of government that these requests would be responded to positively with the needed urgency. I would like to add that all other requests would be looked into as well".