Education shouldn’t just be free but quality - Nunoo-Mensah tells Akufo-Addo

A former National Security Coordinator and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah has lauded President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s announcement to commence his much-touted ‘Free Education’ policy.

To him, the policy must not just be free, but “it must be quality. The quality is what we need not free. It shouldn’t be numbers but the quality of the number is what we must concentrate on.”

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Saturday, announced the implementation of its campaign promise to provide free public senior high school (SHS) education from the 2017/2018 academic year.

According to him, he is committed, "without any equivocation, without any reservation, without any doubt, to take Ghana to the stage where public Senior High School education will be free for every Ghanaian child."

The free public SHS education, he said, was aimed at building an educated populace for speedy national development and progress.

"By free SHS, we mean that in addition to tuition, which is already free, there will be no admission fees, no library fees, no science centre fees, no computer laboratory fees, no examination fees, no utility fees. There will be free textbooks, free boarding and free meals and day students will get a meal at school for free.”

"Free SHS will also cover agricultural, vocational and technical institutions at the high school level," - Nana Addo said when speaking as the Special Guest of Honour at the 60th Anniversary celebration of Okuapeman School.

Speaking on NEAT FM’s morning show dubbed Ghana Montie the former security capo cum teacher advised the Nana Addo-led administration to as well create job opportunities for graduates after school.

“It’s not just producing graduates, but what to do with them after education. The president should pay attention more to the quality than the numbers.

“The biggest danger is what to do with the graduates. The young unemployed is the biggest threat this country is facing,” he noted.