After the International Monetary Fund said the Free Senior High School programme is poorly targeted, the Dean of Business School of the University of Cape Coast, Professor John Gatsi, says the criticism will force the government to review the policy.
In a discussion monitored by AcademicWeek, Prof Gatsi said amid conditionalities of the $3 billion grant to the country, the flagship Free SHS programme introduced in 2017 would be reviewed and made more targeted.
“Indeed, they have been told what to do about the free SHS, to review it and to make it meet the needs of the people, that will be done, definitely, there will be a review of the programme to make it more efficient and more accessible to all the people of Ghana,” he said.
John Gatsi’s prediction comes after the IMF In a report released ahead of the approval of the country’s $3 billion bailout said “The flagship Free Senior High School, which covers the full cost of secondary education, has helped increase enrolment but is poorly targeted.”
Despite spending almost 4 per cent of Gross domestic product (GDP) on education with good results in terms of student enrolment, the United States-based financial agency said the country’s learning outcomes are poor.
The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) comment on the Free SHS programme follows its executive board’s approval of a long-awaited $3 billion bailout for Ghana in hopes of battling the country’s worsening economic crisis. The International Monetary Fund said in a statement Wednesday that the approval would allow for the immediate release of $600 million, with the remaining funds available for the next three years.
The Free High School (Free SHS) Education Policy is a government initiative introduced by President Nana Akufo-Addo in September 2017 to allow eligible BECE students to continue their secondary education free of charge. .
The policy’s core themes of access, equity and equality meet the United Nations’ revised Sustainable Development Goals, and Member States should integrate these themes into their education systems to ensure an appropriate learning experience for students. to certify.
