2 million more students to benefit from quality free SHS access under Mahama

Under the NPP, led by President Nana Addo and Dr. Bawumia, inefficiencies and bottlenecks in secondary education have increased. Currently, the government seems focused on deceiving the public with falsehoods.

One of their misleading claims appears in election advertisements suggesting that the NDC will cancel Free SHS. This is a blatant lie, and all well-meaning Ghanaians must disregard this propaganda aimed at undermining public intelligence.

The latest falsehood comes from the former Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Dr. Opoku Amankwa, in a statement titled “1.8 million students risk losing Free SHS access.” This claim is entirely false and should be ignored.

Let’s examine the strategies outlined by the NDC to expand Free SHS enrollment, increase contact hours, and abolish the inefficient double-track system introduced by the NPP:

1. Bringing Private Schools on Board
   The NDC plans to incorporate as many private schools as possible into the Free SHS policy through a public-private partnership. Many of these schools, which can compete favorably with public schools, have been neglected for the past eight years. This approach will reduce overcrowding in public schools by placing some students in private schools while ensuring they enjoy the same Free SHS benefits. This strategic plan debunks claims that 1.8 million students will lose access to Free SHS.
2. Increasing Access to Quality Schools
   Many students aspire to attend top-tier schools like PRESEC Legon and Achimota. To address this demand, the NDC plans to complete all E-blocks and operationalize them, creating more quality schools for placement. The NPP’s introduction of the double-track system (now called the transitional calendar) was a rushed and ill-planned response to Free SHS. It led to overcrowding and inadequate facilities, a problem the NPP has failed to solve in nearly eight years.
3. Ending the Double-Track System
   The next NDC government will not abruptly dismantle the transitional calendar. Instead, it will adopt a strategic approach to progressively address the challenges created by the NPP’s policy. Long-term solutions include building more infrastructure in oversubscribed Category A and B schools and expanding facilities in underutilized schools to make them more attractive to students and teachers.

Dr. Opoku Amankwa’s assertion that the double-track system and semester calendar improved student performance is not entirely accurate. Currently, students spend more days at home than in school. Under an NDC-led government, eliminating the double-track system will increase classroom contact hours, which will likely improve WASSCE performance once the bottlenecks in Free SHS are resolved.

READ: SHS 1 Double Track Calendar Released By GES

The belief by the former GES Director-General that 1.8 million students will lose access to Free SHS from 2025 to 2028 under an NDC government lacks strategic insight. The NPP’s failure to appreciate the NDC’s well-thought-out plans to improve education shows a lack of understanding. It is clear that the current Free SHS system is problematic and needs fresh ideas and competent handlers after the NPP’s eight years of mismanagement.

READ: Dangers of not releasing the 2022 Academic Calendar for Pre-Tertiary

Ghanaians want:

• More classroom time instead of extended vacations due to the transitional calendar.
• Quality meals for their children, not expired rice and poorly nutritious food.
• Improved infrastructure and educational resources, including accommodation, textbooks, and teaching materials.
• Affordable university education that doesn’t leave parents scrambling to pay first-semester fees.

Mahama’s strategic plans for secondary education will improve and make accessible quality-free SHS for all current students, as well as 2 million more students who will benefit from quality-free SHS access under his government.

READ: Double-track SHS is Coming Back to Ensure Social Distancing

Ghanaians have had enough of the NPP’s inefficiency in managing the education sector and the economy. No amount of lies or fabricated stories can salvage the NPP’s credibility as the nation prepares for the December 7th elections.