Builsa South MP, Clement Apaak has said that teachers and students must be commended for striving to perform well amid the challenges associated with the free SHS.
In his view, the government or the President should be the last entity or person receiving commendation especially when they are to blame for the challenges that have characterized the free SHS.
He was speaking in an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show when he expressed: “We must commend the teachers and students for their inputs but we cannot commend the government. When the policy began, we warned the government of some issues such as the challenge of space. The govt didn’t listen and the schools were overcrowded. It was after that they brought double track that the schools were relieved. Even with the double-track system, we questioned when it was going to end and up till now, they cannot tell Ghanaians when it will end. The consequence of the double track is that they [students] spend less time in school and teachers haven’t had a break. Headmasters who have had the courage to complain are either transferred, demoted or sacked.”
Clement shared that for the President to praise himself and his government when there are glaring issues points to the fact that these issues such as paper leakage during the exams “were all part of an engineered process to ensure that the president gets the opportunity to say what he has said.”
Background
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said the free senior high school (SHS) policy implemented by his administration has proved to be a success and must be sustained as a permanent feature of the educational system.
He said the performance of free SHS students in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) had shown that the government was upholding quality in the implementation of the policy.
He made this statement during the 70th anniversary of the Tamale Senior High School (TAMASCO) over the weekend.
In 2017, the government launched the free SHS policy, with the aim of increasing access, lifting the financial burden off parents, among other things.
By: Alberta Dorcas Naa Dedei James
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