It is better to sit on the floor without a desk than to be uneducated – NPP MP

Vincent Ekow Assafuah, New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for the Old Tafo constituency, has stated that the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme should not undergo a review.

According to him, it is more beneficial for students to study under trees than to remain uneducated.

Speaking in an interview with Citi News on January 31, 2024, Assafuah acknowledged the existing challenges within the education sector but insisted that revisiting the policy is not the optimal solution.

He emphasized that the key focus should be on ensuring that students continue to receive education, considering it as the most crucial aspect.

"For me, it is better for a young person to sit on the floor without a desk to learn rather than not being educated. It is better for a young person to go to school without a slipper and be educated than not being educated at all,” citinewsroom.com quoted him to have said.

The call for a review has faced opposition from Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, who firmly stated that the Free SHS programme requires improvement and not review.

About the Free SHS policy

The free SHS Policy removes cost barriers through the absorption of fees approved by GES council.

It aims to improve quality through provision of core textbooks and supplementary readers, teacher rationalization and deployment, etc.

It further seeks to expand physical school infrastructure and facilities to accommodate the expected increase in enrollment.

AM/SARA