The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama has promised to include private Senior High Schools in the revised version of the Free Senior High School (SHS) his administration will introduce when he wins the 2024 Presidential elections.

John Dramani Mahama indicated that the private school sector contributes enormously to Ghana’s educational sector and must not be neglected in policies that seek to improve the access and provision of quality and less costly education.

“I truly believe that private schools are crucial partners with the government in the education sector, as they have been trailblazers and pacesetters in introducing new teaching techniques and procedures into the system. They have also been effective in handling special children due to their teacher-to-pupil ratio”.
John Dramani Mahama

Accordingly, the flagbearer of the NDC assured the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) of the NDC’s commitment to work closely with all stakeholders in the educational sector to review the educational structure of Ghana entirely from the basic to the tertiary level. He asserted that his government would give maximum priority to education in the country.

Furthermore, the former President disclosed that his decision to include private schools in the Free SHS program is based on the fact that private schools have the infrastructure and human resources to support the program. He asserted that bringing the private sector of education on board the policy, will increase enrollment in schools and ensure quality education for all.

John Dramani Mahama also specified that the next NDC administration aims to invest enormously in the education sector. He stated that his administration will focus on basic education arguing that providing a strong foundation for basic schoolchildren will ensure that quality education is assured at the higher levels of education.

Also, the flagbearer of the NDC indicated that parents are overburdened with the cost of secondary education despite the implementation of the Free SHS by the incumbent NPP administration. He emphasized that the next NDC administration will “address the burden still shared by parents and the government at the secondary education level”.

Advocacy For Quality Education

Furthermore, John Dramani Mahama stressed the need for access to quality education in the lives of every child. He emphasized his commitment to ensuring that every child has access to proper and quality education. “Let’s build a brighter future for our children in the Ghana we want together” he stated.

Meanwhile, the former President criticized the incumbent government for its failure to provide basic needs for schoolchildren in the rural area.

He indicated that schoolchildren in rural areas do not have the same opportunities as those in urban areas. He argued if this persists, the government will not achieve its goal of equity in the educational sector.

“And so we need to look at the equity in the education system and see how we can improve investment in poor rural schools. Some of them have no chairs and the curriculum has changed. Four years now, the curriculum has changed yet no textbooks are available for students and teachers”.
John Dramani Mahama

Moreover, basic education has not been the only focus of the former President’s criticism of the incumbent government. John Dramani Mahama opined that the current mode of implementing the Free SHS is flawed. He suggested that a more practical approach to implementing the policy should be adopted to ensure that the program benefits those who need it most.

He also emphasized that to ensure equity in implementing the program, it must be done progressively. He argued that progressive implementation will ensure that the government covers areas it can afford.

Accordingly, the NDC flagbearer promised to review the Free SHS policy and remodel it to suit the current educational needs of the country.

In the lead-up to the 2024 General Elections, the NDC has come up with a lot of policies and suggestions that it thinks will be well fitted to the various sectors of the country, especially the economic and educational sectors. While some of these policy suggestions were well received others too were met with criticism from the general public.