President Akufo-Addo, has expressed his pleasure over the achievements of the Free Senior High School policy since its inception.
According to him, the returns of the policy can be seen in the results it has garnered in guaranteeing a minimum of senior high school education for all of Ghana’s children.
“Five years on following the implementation of the Free Senior High School programme, which has guaranteed a minimum of Senior High School education for 1.6 million Ghanaian children, I want to state, without any equivocation, that I am very proud of the policy and of its results thus far”.
President Akufo-Addo
Speaking at the 70th anniversary celebration of the Tamale Senior High School (TAMASCO) in Tamale, the President emphasized that the results of such policies are enjoyed by the experiences of developed nations. With this, he noted that their achievements have shown that the most effective way to create a society of opportunities, one which guarantees the future of a nation, is by investing in education and skills training of the youth.
President Akufo-Addo noted that Ghana cannot transition from the status of a developing to a developed nation without literate and educated population. He indicated that it is the people of Ghana, “Ghanaians like you and I”, and particularly the youth of today, who are going to build Ghana.
Performance of WASSCE students under free SHS policy
Commenting on the results of the 2020 and 2021 WASSCE results, he explained that the sterling results gives indication of why the Free SHS policy has been a success so far. President Akufo-Addo revealed that when the policy implementation started, some described the Free SHS as “a waste”, others thought it would “destroy our Ivy League Schools”, while some indicated that the policy was going to “compromise the quality of senior high school education”. Reacting to this, he explained that none of these have happened, and he is sure those persons have “eggs on their faces now” or perhaps should have.
“The 2021 WASSCE results of the second batch of the ‘Akufo-Addo graduates’ shows 54.08% of students recording A1-C6 in English, as opposed to 51.6% in 2016; 65.70% recording A1-C6 in Integrated Science in 2021, as opposed to 48.35% in 2016; 54.11% recording A1-C6 in Mathematics, as compared to 33.12% in 2016; and 66.03% recording A1-C6 in Social Studies, as compared to 54.55% in 2016. Lest we forget, the 2021 batch of students were the pioneers of the double track system, which elicited a lot of vilification and unfounded criticism on its introduction”.
President Aufo-Addo
Expounding on other benefits of the policy, President Akufo-Addo expressed that the result of the impact of the policy is seen in the increase in the percentage of students from TAMASCO, who have qualified to attend University.
“In 2015, it was 29.2%; in 2016, it was 31.4%; in 2017, it was 34.7%; in 2018, it was 31.3%; in 2019, it was 46.3%; and in 2021, it was 45.8%. Surely, Chairperson, there can no longer be any controversy about the validity of the Free SHS policy and its consequential measures; it is working”.
President Akufo-Addo
The President, thus, appealed to all Ghanaians to “forgo partisan, parochial considerations, which confer little benefit, and all agree that Free SHS has to be a part of our national educational architecture, for at least, a generation, if not forever. Our nation will clearly be empowered and enriched”.
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