Former President and flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama, has announced plans to extend the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy to private secondary schools.
This initiative aims to address the ongoing double-track system and reduce congestion in public schools.
In a recent meeting with the clergy, Mahama noted that while the grant for first-year students currently covers academic fees for public tertiary institutions, his administration, if elected, plans to include private secondary schools in the Free SHS policy.
“We have determined that private schools at the secondary level have the capacity to accommodate students because of the introduction of the Free SHS. A lot of people have migrated from public schools due to the fee-paying nature of private schools.”
He explained that incorporating private schools into the Free SHS initiative would help alleviate congestion in public secondary schools and ultimately phase out the double-track system.
“We want to extend Free SHS to private schools so that we can ease congestion in public schools, which will help solve the double-track problem.”
Mahama emphasized the importance of completing the ongoing E-block projects, which were initiated under his previous administration, as quickly as possible to create more space for students.
“The integration of private schools into the policy, combined with the completion of E-blocks, would ensure that all students can attend school and vacate at the same time, rather than alternating between home and school under the double-track system.”
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Story by: Akpalu Edmond Deladem | univers.ug.edu.gh