Free SHS must go beyond access - Alex Segbefia

Leading member of the campaign team of the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) and Former Minister of Health, Alex Segbefia, has validated the statements by Prof. Naana Opoku-Agyemang that meaningful, quality education goes beyond access.

In her maiden statement at her outdooring, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang stated: “we need meaningful, quality and comprehensive education that goes beyond access and responds to the future we can actualize”.

Supporting the statement of the Professor, the former Minister in an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show noted that while the Free Senior High School policy has allowed access to education by many, its implementation has been poorly executed and that “does not give value to a very good policy like the Free SHS”.

“Would you say that the double-track system at the senior high schools is a good thing? Clearly not! We have to find a way to move from that properly. This is because keeping children home for three to four months at a go does not give value to a very good policy like the free SHS. Free SHS is something that the framers of our constitution envisaged. That is why it is in our constitution. The way it is implemented is crucial”.

He assured that when the NDC comes into office, the implementation of the Free SHS policy will properly be done. He noted that this action will be plausible because the NDC had already put in place measures to ensure the gradual implementation of the Free SHS as stated in the constitution.

“We were using the gradual approach to ensure that at the time you actually implement it, you will have enough schools to ensure that you have enough teachers to teach the student.

We have said that we will deal with these issues but don’t forget that we already have a plan of building two-hundred (200) schools of which there were some that were completed and some that had begun. All these were put to a standstill”, he added.

The double-track system was introduced by the Government in its implementation of the free SHS policy to create room to absorb more students to enter SHS, thus increasing enrolment, reducing class sizes, increasing contact hours and the duration of holidays, by making use of the existing infrastructure.