Most Reverend Charles Palmer-Buckle has entreated the government to listen to calls asking for the immediate review of the free senior high school policy.
He admitted that the free SHS policy has brough relief to many parents but it is important and a high time the government consider the growing calls to reevaluate the policy through stakeholder engagement to ensure all the bottlenecks are removed.
“I support 100% the free SHS policy. [But] It is now time to have a stakeholder engagement to review the free SHS,” he stressed.
According to the Archbishop, parents have forgotten that they should be paying for their children’s school fees because of the free SHS policy.
“They have divulged that to government and are blaming government,” he said.
Since its implementation, the policy has been praised as well as lambasted, especially from major stakeholders including members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), parents and teachers.
The Catholic Arch-Bishop of Cape Coast Speaking at the launch of a book titled, “Accra ACA, Bleoo, The History of the Accra Academy from James Town to Bubuashie”, Rev. Palmer-Buckle explained that the free SHS policy can be streamlined to enhance better education.
Addressing the gathering as the keynote speaker for the book launch at the GNAT Hall in Accra, the Deputy Education Minister and Member of Parliament for the Assin South Constituency, Rev. Ntim Fordjour, noted that, the implementation of the free SHS policy requires collaboration from all stakeholders to overcome present challenges.
He added that global issues such as the Russia-Ukraine war have dealt a blow to many economies, and Ghana was no exception.