Government deliberately preventing candidates from enjoying Free SHS - Boahen

The Deputy Communications Officer for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kwaku Boahen has alleged that, the reason why some students have not been placed to their choice of senior secondary schools was due to a quota system given to the various senior high schools.

Speaking to Kwame Tutu on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm he said, it is a statement of fact that government is using this as a means to reduce the number of beneficiaries for the free senior high school at the boarding level.

He insisted that government has directed all government secondary schools in the country to use the quota system to help reduce the usual number of students admitted every academic year.

Some disgruntled parents and guardians on Tuesday and today [Wednesday] besieged the premises of the Education Ministry to express their frustration over the non-placement of their wards in their preferred schools. A visit by Rainbow Radio to the Ministry, witnessed some unhappy parents and their wards making frantic efforts to get their preferred placement.

But Kwaku Boahen has said the affected parents should forget about getting the preferred choice for their wards because government has used the quota system to reduce cost. ‘’What they are doing now shows that they have adopted a quota system to reduce the number of students admitted every academic year. It is a statement of fact and not an assumption.’’

He told the host that the quota system accounted for the 267,327 candidates that secured places in schools of their choices, with 150,770 candidates not been placed in a school of their choice.

He said government has selected over 98% day schools for those who failed to secure their choice of schools. ‘’They have selected only day schools for the 150,770 candidates so they will reduce the cost for the free senior high schools. Government used the system to reduce cost. That shows the deceit of the NPP. They have deceived Ghanaians and that is what very sad, ’’ he stated.