Free SHS: Ghanaians must be grateful to Akufo-Addo – Okyenhene

Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin has said education is very critical to the development of youth in every country, therefore, interventions needed to support such a worthy course cannot be postponed, relegated or less prioritized.

“The real wealth of a nation is her people and the future lies in the education, skills and values that society passes on to the young people on whose backs and minds the pillars of national progress, unity and development are to be built. The needs of the education for our youth cannot be postponed, de-prioritised or relegated”

He said, therefore that, Ghanaians must be grateful to President Akufo-Addo for the introduction of Free Senior High School Policy in the country.

According to the revered Paramount Chief of Akyem Abuakwa, the Policy intervention by the President is a demonstration of his commitment to providing equal opportunity to all Ghanaian children to have access to quality education.

“For our part as Ghanaians, we are grateful to President Akufo-Addo for living up to his promise of Free Secondary Education. Today every single child in every public high school in Ghana has free education. And, not only that, nearly 800,000 of them are boarders, who also enjoy free education.

“This is a demonstration of our leader’s commitment to ensuring quality and accessible education to every child, no matter who you are and where you come from. We will continue to urge you, the political leaders of our two countries to continue investing the revenues from our mineral resources in improving the quality of life of the people, through education, health and infrastructure”

Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin said this in his address at a durbar at the forecourt of Ofori Panin Fie in Kyebi in honour of the Right Hon. Prime Minister of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago-Dr.Christopher Keith Rowley.

According to Okyenhene, “Trinidad and Tobago can boast of being one of the most educated countries in the world, with a literacy level nearing 100%” due to Free Education Policy it introduced many years ago.

“Mr Prime Minister, indeed, your country leads in providing free and quality education, made possible because of the investment choices of the leaders. In Trinidad, education in primary and secondary schools are free; university education, including medical school, is mainly free. The quality of your graduates is also as good as anywhere else in the world”.

Okyenhene seized the opportunity “to seek some academic collaboration between our own, University College of Environment and Agriculture established here, at Bonsu, by this house, under my leadership, as we seek to turn this young university into a centre of excellence”.