Free SHS May Collapse In Third Year – Bagbin Warns

A flagbearer hopeful of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Alban Bagbin, has predicted that the government’s flagship social intervention program, Free Senior High School, will collapse by its third year.

According to him, the program, although laudable, will collapse if the government fails to take into consideration the suggestions of stakeholders on how to ensure its success. Speaking to Citi TV’s Face to Face program, the Nadowli Kaleo Member of Parliament said, “it is actually not Free Senior High School, it is Free first year, the second and third year is not free. In the second year [of the program] we will be able to judge…. By the time we get to the third year we’ve collapsed. If they don’t do anything about it, three-year stream, and this government will be on its knees.”

The government has adopted the double-track system to cater for increased enrollment to sustain the program due to a deficit in infrastructure.

This move has been criticized by many Ghanaians with former President Mahama cautioning the government to consult instead of a hasty implementation. But President Akufo-Addo has stated that the double track system will be implemented this year without compromise in September.

President Nana Akufo-Addo has defended his administration’s decision to roll out a multi-track intake system for Senior High Schools beginning this in September.

According to him, his critics will be put to shame when the system is finally rolled out successfully in September.

Speaking at a durbar of chiefs and people of Wa on his final leg of the Regional tour, President Akufo-Addo said;

“I am sure that in two or three years, the comments made by the representatives of the teachers about the quality of examination passes will be a thing of the past. So I want you to support this dual intake system as being a very efficient way of dealing with this large class thing.”

The new system is expected to cost GH₵323 million to implement fully.

GH₵267.2 million of this amount will go into teaching costs and GH₵55.8 million for academic interventions.

Without the double-track system, the government will require GH₵1.3 billion to accommodate the increase in numbers.

The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), has said the expected compensation for partaking in the Dual Intake System for secondary education is not enough.

“The government has indicated that each student will pay GHc50 or the price per student on the additional workload will be GH₵50 per semester that the children will be in school. But when you do this; when you break it down, you realize that this is actually no money. [Whether] monthly or daily, you see that it is no money” Angel Carbonu, NAGRAT’s President, told Citi News.

Source: Citinewsroom