“Exempt private JHS students from Free SHS” suggestion “Bad Advice”

“Exempt private JHS students from Free SHS” suggestion “Bad Advice”, let us consider other alternative ways that do not discriminate against students from private schools.

The suggestion by Mr. Kofi Asare, the Executive Director of Africa Education Watch that the government should exempt private JHS students from the Free SHS program to help reduce the current expenditure incurred as a result of the policy has been challenged.

The Editor of Ghanaeducation.org, Leadership expert and Human Rights Activist, Mr. Wisdom Hammond, is of the view that while this suggestion is worth being considered, it will not be the best decision if the reason is to reduce the cost of the policy.

Reacting to the Executive Director of Africa Education Watch boss’s suggestion on Happy FM, Mr. Hammond said the recommendation amounted to bad advice in his estimation.

He has indicated that “Any attempt to exempt candidates from private schools from the Free SHS will collapse such schools as many parents will transfer their children from such private schools to public schools and further increase the problem of overcrowding already being experienced in private schools.”

Exempting students from private schools will further lead to bias when it comes to investing in the future of Ghana’s future manpower.  BECE students presented by private schools for the BECE since 2017 have been treated badly already.  They pay the full cost of the examination, while their counterparts in public schools write the examination for free.

Instead of exempting Junior High School Graduates from Free SHS, the government can make a few changes to Free SHS given that we need to make some savings from the policy for other equally important expenditure

Mr. Kofi Asare in an interview on Happy FM stated that the government spends GH₵2,000.00 every year on each boarding student and that parents who educate their wards in private schools can afford to pay for this.  It is important to put on record that, there are classes of private schools, and the fees they charge vary. If the government is thinking of making some savings from the Free SHS, it must not target students from private schools whose parents also pay taxes.

Any attempt to target private school BECE graduates and exempt them from Free SHS would be against their rights to fair treatment and education, all because they attended private Junior High Schools. Each year, the public schools register more students for the BECE than private schools. Why target private schools each time the Free SHS discussions are initiated on savings, placement, and everything about it?

Instead of axing out private school students from Free SHS, Mr. Hammond has offered alternative options to the government which should be considered if we want to cut down the cost of Free SHS.

1. Free SHS should cover tuition, uniforms etc while parents whose wards gain admission as boarding students should pay for a percentage of the cost of boarding. This way, we save funds from the boarding expenditure for other uses.
2. The government is already paying for the education of public school students up to the JHS. The government should permit parents of public school students to pay a subsidized BECE examination fee whiles the private school candidates pay the full cost as is the case now.
3. Another way government can reduce the Free SHS expenditure is to stop paying for the WASSCE examination of students or subsidize the cost so that parents whose wards enjoyed Free SHS for nearly two years can pay for their WASSCE fees as and when they fall due.
4. Another way to save on Free SHS is to introduce a cut-off point to make it competitive, and a scholarship well deserved, instead of the current policy which allows candidates with”bad grades” to end up at the SHS. These will surely increase the cost of the policy.

In doing this, the government needs to make school placement more competitive by removing all kinds of policies put in place to favour students who write the BECE as public school candidates.

READ: Exempt private JHS students from Free SHS – AEW to govt

“If our finances have been overstretched, let us not target Private School BECE candidates as the way out of our woes” He added.

The above recommendations, although not conclusive, and could be brainstormed further and will be fairer to all Ghanaian children than just singling out private schools and their candidates.

The flagship Free SHS initiative, the farmer said when reviewed, would save the government about GH₵400 million, an amount he believes can be used to create more jobs and create opportunities for economic development.

READ: 2022 BECE School Selection Made Easy With GEN BECE School Placement Pack

It is important that “we do not lose sight of the fact that, BECE graduates from private schools are also Ghanaian children and deserve the right to enjoy the full benefits of the government’s policy to provide secondary education for free, Any attempt to practice segregation tactics or suggest same for the government as a measure to reduce Free SHS expenditure will not be the best choice.” He added.

Source: Ghanaeducation.org