President impressed with delivery of SHS programme - Information Minister

President Akufo-Addo has expressed satisfaction over his government’s ability to deliver the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme to benefit large numbers of Junior High School (JHS) leavers.

Currently, all students from Form ‘1’ to ‘3’ in Senior High School are beneficiaries of the government’s flagship programme, Free SHS.

The President is enthused by the initial success of the Free SHS and commended the programme as one that has come to enhance and increase Ghana’s literacy population, as well as skills development.

President Akufo-Addo, during his recent eight-day tour of the Bono, Ashanti and Eastern regions that covered 42 main stops, was overwhelmed by the progress of work on dormitories and classroom blocks aimed at ending the double track system.

With the Free SHS coming under a barrage of criticisms by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), the President is highly expectant that the first batch of beneficiaries in June 2020 will put all critics to shame, bypassing their West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) with flying colours.

President Akufo-Addo toured Bono, Ashanti and Eastern Regions, bringing the number of regions visited so far to 14, which has afforded him the opportunity to witness at firsthand the progress of work.

He also used the occasion to interact with citizens, interest groups, and traditional rulers, who gave him valuable insights into what they make of his administration’s delivery of policies, and what more they will want him to focus on.

On the Planting for Food and Jobs policy, he received positive feedback from all areas where the project is being piloted, and promised that the programme will cover other crops, including cashew.

The President has committed to ensure that Parliament passes the Tree Crops Bill when it resumes this month to allow the necessary institutional support for the cultivation of cashew and other tree crops.

Already, Cabinet has given policy approval for the passage of the bill.

President Akufo-Addo also interacted with ministers, consultants and contractors working on key projects such as roads, warehouses, youth development centers, an airport, educational institutions and agric centers.

He admonished contractors working behind schedule to get back on track, while urging his ministers to ensure that the contractors owed are paid promptly.

He said this on the back of the Finance Ministry announcing over a GH¢1 billion fund to meet government’s commitments to the contractors.

The President’s next trip, which would be the final one, is going to be in the Volta and Greater Accra regions.