President Akufo-Addo boastfully announces that the success attained through the Free SHS policy have muted its critics.
According to his verbiage, “Surely, there can no longer be any doubts about the validity of the policy and its consequential measures,” he affirmed during the 2023 Ghana Teacher Prize ceremony in Takoradi.
The Free SHS policy was introduced in September 2017 by the New Patriotic Party (NPP)-led Government. It was designed to extend free access to second cycle education for the youth.
Prior to its launch, monetary constraints prevented about 100,000 Junior High School (JHS) graduates from going to SHS.
Over 470,000 students enrolled in Senior High School for the 2017/18 academic year. To date, more than 1.6 million students have benefited from this initiative.
President Akufo-Addo lighted the policy’s major investment that led to a commendable West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results.
He proudly stated that the 2022 WASSCE results were the best in the last eight years.
These signify that, for the first time in eight years, more than 50 percent of candidates had A1-C6 grades in all core subjects.
Nana Addo also showed the government’s obligation to realizing Goal Four of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This aims to ensure equitable and quality primary and secondary education for all by 2030.
Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, also added onto to what the President said. He articulated that 38 percent of primary two pupils could now read. This is a massive boost from the mere two percent recorded in 2015.
The 2023 Ghana Teacher Prize celebrated educators’ transformative impact on education.
