You promised free SHS and not free 1st year SHS – Pratt

The managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr has asked the Akufo-Addo-led government to explain to parents that the free SHS policy being implemented now is only for new entrants because the promise was free SHS and not free ‘first year SHS’.

“What the NPP promised was free education for all students of the senior high school not the 1st year and not the second years but all students of the senior high school. It is possible that this is the beginning and that subsequently, second years and third years will be added on.

But as at now the promise of making education free for all students of senior high school has not been achieved...it’s in the interest of government to state this because some parents of second and third year believe that their children are going to enjoy free education and if it is not explained, it will create problems for the headmasters and headmistresses. What is being implemented now is free education for only new entrants of the senior high schools” he said during a panel discussion on Radio Gold’s Alhaji and Alhaji.



The governing New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) much touted free Senior High School policy will be fully rolled out on Tuesday, September 12, 2017.

President Akufo-Addo delivering a speech at the 60th Anniversary celebration and the Speech and Prize Giving Day of Okuapeman School in Akropong in the Eastern Region said: “by free SHS we mean that in addition to tuition which is already free, there will be no admission fee, no library fee, no science centre fee, no computer lab fee, no examination fee, and no utility fee; there will be free text books, free boarding and free meals, and day students will get a meal at school for free.



Free SHS will also cover agricultural, vocational and technical institutions at the high school level. I also want to state clearly again that we have a well-thought out plan that involves the building of new public senior high schools and cluster public senior high schools.”