Free SHS: Private SHS heads to engage government

Heads of the various private senior high schools (SHSs) in the country will be meeting officials of the government to discuss some concerns they have regarding the implementation of the Free Senior High Schools.

Jones Dzamesi, General Secretary of the Conference of Heads of Private Schools, has noted that the implementation of the Free SHS programme has had effects on the private SHSs, for which they will want to engage the government to find out how they can also be included in the programme.

The Free SHS, which forms the Akufo-Addo-led government’s flagship programme, started on Monday, 11 September 2017.

The President launched the programme on Tuesday, September 12 at the West African Senior Secondary School (WASS) in Accra.

The President, among other things, assured Ghanaians that although the Free Senior High School policy may face some challenges in its implementation, the programme will be sustainable.

But speaking in an interview with host of Accra 100.5FM’s Ghana Yensom show, Chief Jerry Forson, on Wednesday September 13, Mr Dzamesi said: “Private schools are waiting to see what happens but it is not looking too good for the private schools.

“We have no problem with a government’s intervention that seeks to make education more affordable but our concern has to do with the implementation process. Private school children are also Ghanaians and so we want to ask are they included?

“We the private sector have been able to make education more accessible to Ghanaians over the years with partnership with government but now Free SHS is luring most of the students to the public schools.

“The solution to our concern is dialogue; we will continue to engage government going forward. We will continue to raise the issues that we think are important through dialogue with government.