Free SHS will increase teenage pregnancy in Ghana - Kwame Atuah

A Ghanaian citizen, Kwame Atuah has expressed worry over the lack of accommodation for some beneficiaries of the Free SHS program.

According to him, female students who have rented hostels and houses stand a high risk of getting pregnant since they will not be under the guidance of school authorities

"In the end, it is estimated that if nothing is been done about this 30% of the girls entering SHS this year and are living in outside hostels may get pregnant alongside and cannot complete".

He also said since there is going to be lack of supervision of the male students living outside the schools, it is possible for those students to involve themselves in drug abuse.

"There is the possibility of about increase in drugs too among the males for no one cares about the movement of these innocent young ones all in the name of 'Free' SHS!!".

He, therefore, asked Ghanaian to stop politicising the future of the younger generations for cheap political gains.

He also added that, the future of Ghanaian youth is questionable with the politicising of the free SHS education program.

Below is the full writ-up;

Kwame Atuah Patrick writes.....

It appears we Ghanaians are sacrificing the future of our younger generation for this cheap politically minded policy called free SHS and is a pity.

Following the trending happenings in the country, you will realized that the concerns raised by the opposition about issues on inadequate accommodation spaces for the students and hence the need for govt. to pay attention to it has already been vindicated by current happenings.

Due to the undue pressure on government they have adopted a new strategy where majority of the students will be "Day students" to cut down their expenditure.

Now Hostels have become the order of the day and the way and manner parents are following this "free" thing and risking the future of their wards to this open world at this early stages of their lives is devastating.

For example, a student who lives at Santasi in Kumasi got a Senior High School at Asante Akyim Agogo and she has been made a day student, how can this be possible, now the parents have to go and look for a room and rent for this fifteen years girl to live alone far away from home, all in the name of free" SHS.

Are they going to school or they are going to live their lives at that tender age?

The difference between Boarding house and community Hostels is the in and out of the students in Boarding house as well as their entire well-being is the responsibility of the school authorities.

While with the hostel system the student mostly lives outside the school premises, feeds him/ herself and are not controlled by any one, this exposes these innocent students to all the predators in world and mostly landed them into heavy troubles that can affect negatively in their entire life.

In the end, it is estimated that if nothing is been done about this 30% of the girls entering SHS this year and are living in outside hostels may get pregnant alongside and can not complete.

There is the possibility of about 56% increase in drugs too among the males for no one cares about the movement of these innocent young ones all in the name of "Free" SHS!!

We are politicizing the future of our younger generations for cheap political gains and a fear for the future of the Ghanaian youth.

Please treat this as Non. Political and let's think about a panacea for this developing trend.

Ghana is crying!!!