Fatimatu Abubakar, Minister designate for Information has revealed that over 700,000 youth have benefited from the Free Senior High School policy under the Akufo-Addo administration.
The Free SHS policy was launched in September 2017 at the West Africa Secondary School in Accra on January 7, 2017.
Delivering the key note address at the 61st Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) in Accra in October 2023, said the policy has salvaged the issue of school dropout especially at the Junior High School level.
He stated that some of the students could not afford the fees even though they had the qualification.
“They could not afford the fees even though they had the qualifications. If this situation had persisted for a decade, one million people would have dropped out of school at the level of junior high school, an unacceptable outcome for any nation in the 20th century.
“It would have been too dangerous for Ghana’s stability as we would have been building a future of hopelessness for our youth. Such a situation was intolerable and my party and I were determined to end it,” Akufo Addo added.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with host of Atinka TV’s “Agenda show”, Nana Fianko, Deputy Minister for information, Fatimatu Abubakar, said but for New Patriotic Party (NPP) Free Senior High School policy, over 700,000 youth would have stayed home.
“Under the NDC, when we were paying fees, there are videos all over that showed students who were being sacked due to non-payment of school fees. I know a family whose first generation graduate is under the free SHS… But for New Patriotic Party (NPP) Free Senior High School policy, over 700,000 youth would have stayed home,” Fatimatu Abubakar explained.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu
