Free SHS dual intake system is good - Rashid Pelpuo

A former minister of state under the John Mahama administration has admitted the adoption of the Dual Intake System by government as an intervention for its flagship Free Senior High School (free SHS) is “good but poorly planned”.

Government last week announced that its Free Senior High School policy would run on a new system from September this year to create room for more students to be admitted using the available educational facility.

The policy is expected to convert the senior high school calendar into a semester system.

President Akufo-Addo noted the Dual Intake system is not an invention but an adoption, which has worked in other countries including the United States.

Many, including some educationists and key members of the National Democratic Congress have raised concerns about the new system, which they say, will bring the country back to a shift system.

For the Wa Central MP, who spoke on TV3 New Day Saturday, the new system could have been better if a lot of planning went into it; something he claimed was missing before the announcement of the new system.

A member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and an energy consultant, Kwame Jantuah, who was also a panellist on the show, shared in Pelpuo’s view insisting the new system ought to have been piloted.

Dr. Pelpuo noted the NDC has always been in favour of Free Senior High School.

According to him, the NDC was a bit more strategic with the implementation of the policy, which he said, was evidenced in the building of 40 out of 200 senior high schools in two years across the country.



He also claimed the NDC government built “thousands of school blocks” across the country, of which he could count more than 100 in his own constituency.

Dr. Pelpuo added teacher-training colleges were enhanced and more universities built, something he said, was part of a grand plan to make the Free Senoir High School policy work.

Dr. Pelpuo said, unlike the NDC that had a plan, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) overheard a minister mention Dual Intake system and they also felt they could implement same.

According to him, the NPP has no blueprint for the new system claiming, “there is no document to show”.

But government spokesperson on infrastructure, Richard Asante, however disagreed that there is no plan for the new system arguing, “The point is that it is so easy to implement”.