Ghana is not ready to start the implementation of the much hyped Free Senior High School (SHS) Programme promised by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, says Member of Parliament for Akatsi North, Peter Kotoe Nortsu.
The Akatsi North legislator cited infrastructure deficits in various second cycle institutions to back his assertion.
Although he expressed optimism about the proposed policy by the NPP government, he doubts if it can be sustained.
President Nana Akufo-Addo on Saturday, February 11, at the 60th-anniversary celebration of Okuapeman School in the Eastern Region announced that the Free SHS Programme promised by the NPP will commence in September this year.
Nana Akufo Addo also indicated that government is going to fund the cost of all who qualify for entry into the various public SHS.
Speaking in an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Gold Power Drive on Radio Gold, Mr. Peter Kotoe Nortsu noted that, although former President Mahama laid the foundation of the policy, there are a lot to consider before its implementation.
“If you ask me: Are we are ready for the free SHS? I will say no, we still need to build more schools in the system. Free SHS means free admission, free textbooks free, boarding and free meals. You just have to wake-up and take your bag and go to school. That’s where we will have the challenges because we would still need funds to put up more schools since we have infrastructure deficits,” he observed.
Mr. Peter Kotoe further called for the need to get a holistic approach to providing free education as it is stated in the Constitution.
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