Free SHS doesn’t need legal backing – Bawumia

Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has stated that the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy does not need any legal backing to make it functional, but rather the political will and the required budgetary allocations to sustain it.

According to the vice president, the policy has come to stay and that the Akufo-Addo government will ensure its sustenance.

Dr. Bawumia indicated that the policy is government’s initiative aimed at building and increasing the human capital of the country through education and training, while giving all Ghanaian children of school-going age access to quality education.

Dr Bawumia was speaking at the 23rd Speech and Prize-Giving Day celebration and the 65 anniversary of Tamale Senior High School – which happens to be his alma mater.

He revealed that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government is committed to ensuring the success of the Free SHS policy and as such, had made provision for furniture to be distributed to the various schools to facilitate learning.

He added that the government, in the 2018 budget statement, has reduced the tax on private tertiary institutions.

This, according to the vice president, is a move by the Akufo-Addo administration to make it easy for the many students benefiting from the Free SHS policy to further their education to the tertiary level.

“The cut in tax of private universities is to enable them expand their existing facilities to accommodate prospective graduates from the various senior high schools across the country,” Dr Bawumia explained.

Meanwhile, government has implemented a comprehensive incentive scheme to motivate teachers to give their best in the teaching and training of students.

The affordable housing scheme, according to the vice president, is to motivate teachers to work hard.

The Northern Regional Director of Education, Alhaji Mohammed Haroon Cambodia, commended Tamale Senior High School for its contribution to society through the training of students and the high level of discipline among them (students).

He announced that encroachers had invaded the land of the school and appealed to the government and educational stakeholders to help the (school) authorities to halt them (encroachers).