Free SHS: Parents calling us to pay for their wards’ hostel fees – Kofi Adams

Kofi Adams, the National Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has revealed that some parents are calling on them to help pay for their wards’ hostel fees.

In an interview with Okay FM on Wednesday, 13th, September 2017, he underscored that, ”Parents are worrying us with calls here and there, and between yesterday and today, they have not had stable minds about their children’s challenges they are facing in schools.”

According to him, ”When parents encounter problems then they call us that their wards applied for boarding house but they have been classified as day students; they don’t know what to do.

He added that, “The hostel facility is taking Ghc 700 and the alternative is taking Ghc 530 but the parents were not prepared for such costs as the boarding facility only takes 100 students . . . the problem is, government says that any parent who fails to send their children to the selected schools but take them to another will bear the cost.”

The NDC National Organizer complained that, “We don’t know what to do to help them in this regard, this is the challenge with this Free SHS policy.”

Mr Adams stated that some parents say they cannot leave their 14-year-old wards in hostel without proper protection.

The Free Senior High School begun on Monday, 11th, September, 2017 across all public senior High Schools in the country

President Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, 12th, September 2017 launched the Free Senior High School programme at the West Africa Senior High School in Adenta in the Greater Accra Region.

Greater Accra minister, Ishmael Ashitey and Education Minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh were some of the dignitaries present at the launch.