The Executive Director for Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), Kofi Asare, has clarified the Education Policy Research and Advocacy Organization’s position on the government’s policy to extend the Free Senior High School program to private senior high schools.
He explained that Eduwatch gives its support for the piloting phase of the policy. He, however, demanded equal benefits for both the public and private school beneficiaries and raised critical questions on the education ministry’s preparedness for the implementation of the policy in order to ensure its success.
Mr. Asare emphasized that Eduwatch’s stance on the policy is rooted in the principle of inclusion and fairness, such that all students should get equal access to education, despite the limited facilities of public schools.
“Based on the principle of inclusion, Eduwatch supports the piloting of Free SHS in private schools. This position is grounded in fairness: no student should be denied access to secondary education simply because there are no available spaces in public schools while private schools have vacancies.”
Kofi Asare, Executive Director for Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch)
He further made the point that even though Eduwatch supports the rollout of the policy on the basis of fairness and inclusion, they demand that the government does not leave any burden on the parents of students who get enrolled in private schools on the program.
Eduwatch’s position is that the financial burden borne by the parents of student benefactors of the Free Senior High School program in public schools must not be different from the one to be incurred by the parents of students who will be enrolled on the program in private schools.
“Free SHS in private schools must not come at any additional cost to parents. In other words, parents of students placed in private SHS must bear the same financial burden as those in public schools.”
Kofi Asare, Executive Director for Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch)
Mr. Asare further emphasized that the government must extend the same benefits being given to beneficiaries of the Free Senior High School program in public schools to those who will be enrolled on the same program in private schools.
He stated that things like free lunch for day students and textbooks via tablets being provided for the public schools must equally be provided for the students to be admitted to private schools on the program.
Critical Question on Preparedness
Even though Eduwatch has made known its support for the piloting phase of the policy, the Executive Director, Kofi Asare, raised certain critical questions on the measures the government is putting in place to ensure an effective implementation of the policy.
Just as Eduwatch argued that the government must ensure equal benefits for both public and private school beneficiaries of the Free Senior High School policy, he asked the question on the kind of measures the ministry of education has put in place to make sure private schools do not charge parents more fees than what happens in the public schools.
“What mechanisms has the Ministry instituted to ensure that private schools do not impose any fees on parents whose wards are placed there under the program?”
Kofi Asare, Executive Director for Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch)
Mr. Asare further emphasized the responsibility of the Ministry of Education in having to make sure the needed provisions are made available for the students’ enrollment and eventual stay in the private schools.
He further warned that the ministry could risk exclusion and apathy should it not uphold the commitments of the government to the private schools.
He also noted that any such negligence of obligation and responsibility from the side of the education ministry could lead to the eventual failure of the policy. “The Ministry has an obligation to enforce this provision strictly, or risk exclusion, public apathy, and eventual program failure.” He stated.
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