The Methodist Church, Ghana, has called for an urgent review of the Free SHS policy to ensure better food and infrastructure for beneficiaries across the country.
According to the Presiding Bishop of the Church, even though the relevance of the policy is not in doubt, a few adjustments must be made to enhance the quality of the nationwide programme.
Speaking to the media in Accra, the Most Rev. Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo, noted that the concerns with poor infrastructure and widespread reports of poor feeding require urgent attention from government.
“It is a concern, I remember the last two years’ conference, the president was there, and I asked if we could review the system. We are all in for it”, he said.
I’ll review and improve implementation of Free SHS, resolve its associated challenges – Mahama
The Presiding Bishop continued, “The free SHS has come to help a number of people, and even for the numbers coming in, nobody can fault it. It is a good thing, and people are taking advantage of it, but the structures and system itself need some review so that we can fine-tune it to help all of us. Looking at the infrastructure and looking at the quality of the meals being sent in there”.
“Going through the system, you will need quality food, and you will need quality ambiance and all that”, he said in an interview with the media.
The comments by the revered preacher adds to ongoing calls for government to take a second look at the policy.
Since its inception in 2017, the policy has expanded access to senior high school education, creating an opportunity for thousands of underprivileged pupils to be enrolled.
It has however been fraught with a myriad of challenges, which have been widely discussed by concerned citizens and stakeholders in the educational sector.
Ranging from lack of teaching logistics, inadequate infrastructure and malnourished meals amongst others, scores of Ghanaians have had cause to repeatedly decry the policy on numerous occasions.
Meanwhile government, through the Ministry of Education insists that it is working around the clock to deal with the litany of challenges which have marred its flagship policy, since it was outdoored seven years ago.
The opposition National Democratic, has also expressed its readiness to embark on a comprehensive review of the policy if voted into office in the upcoming December 7 general election.
In all, about 2.5 million Ghanaian pupils have benefited from the policy since it was launched by President Akufo-Addo in the 2017/2018 academic year.
