The GES is making a U turn over their statement on the Free SHS. The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa was quoted widely as having said that the service is currently reviewing the Free SHS to determine how much beneficiaries will be paying as fees.
GES U Turn on Free SHS
However barely a week after the report received wide publication across all divides of the media landscape, the service is making what can be described as a U turn.
The GES has denied reports attributed to the Director General of the service that the Free SHS policy is under review.
Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa has stated clearly that the GES is a government agency and does not formulate or initiate review of policies.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the GES is not undertaking any review of the FSHS. Any such review of the FSHS Policy is the sole prerogative of the President and the government. As an Agency, the GES implements government policies and programmes in pre-tertiary education.”
“His Excellency President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo in his recent speech at UHAS, assured all students, potential students, parents and the entire country that the Free SHS will not be affected by the IMF programme.”
Free SHS will not be cancelled – Akufo-Addo assures.
Free SHS policy: government functionaries forced to withdraw statement on its review
The Free SHS policy is now an albatross on the neck of the government with key personalities having to withdraw statement made in regard of its review.
It is not surprising that the director of the GES is following the steps of the information Minister. It is not surprising again that it has to take the revered director a couple of days to come out with this disclaimer.?
What kept him and the service from issuing a press statement immediately the publication came out.
We can only watch and wait what will become of the policy in the coming months and years to come.
It has been stated that the government is choked in reviewing the policy given that they accused former President Mahama of saying reviewing the policy meant he will cancel it.
It is an open secret that the Free SHS policy is choking and needs support. The Minister of Education recently told Parliament that the government owes the buffer stock over GHS340 million.
It is not clear when this debt will be paid for the food supply company to begin supplying schools their full food needs.
It is not possible this will done in the near foreseeable future given that the government is even borrowing to pay salaries and to meet basic needs of the country.
GES reviewing Free SHS to determine how much parents can pay – Prof Opoku Amankwah
The Information Minister, the honorable Kojo Oppong Nkrumah had to swallow his own words over statement he made that the Free SHS and other government policies were under review.
IMF says FREE SHS policy will not cancelled.
It has been reported that the IMF’s Resident Representative to Ghana, Dr Albert Touna-Mama, assured that the policy will not be cancelled.
But, he has however acknowledged concerns about the efficiency of the policy and said there need to be conversations about how to make it more sustainable.
