Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Akilagpa Sawyer, has described the way the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy was implemented as foolish.
He said that although the policy is very beneficial, it is an expense the government cannot afford, yet the government continues to fund it.
Speaking on JoyNews’ “The Sages” on June 22, he explained to host Raymond Acquah that although the policy appears objective, it benefits individuals who can afford to pay their children’s school fees while other school children are still just sitting under trees.
In this regard, he stressed that the policy makes no sense.
“The idea of free education is laudable. But pursuing that objective without calculating the costs, deciding the direction of the move, and carefully considering the impact on the rest of the economy is, in my opinion, a failure of policy, not an objective.”
“Under this system, how does it make sense that any child can go to a boarding school and get free food and everything when there are other students, younger students under the tree, and I can afford to pay for my child’s boarding fees and so on?”
“If I can afford it, why would you give me that concession when you can use that budget to help people who don’t even have a basic desk to sit on?” he questioned.
Scholars advised that for the policy to benefit the nation, it needs to be tailored to meet the needs of individuals who cannot afford education.
“Providing free education to everyone, not just me but to anyone who can afford it, is a harsh policy and, frankly, foolish,” he stressed.
Even more egregious, Professor Sawyer said, is the inability of government officials to defend the program.
“And what worries me is that I have not heard any intelligent defence of Free SHS in this matter,” he added.
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