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Don't Blame Parents For Lamenting Over The High Cost Of Senior High Education In The Country Today.

Feature Article Don't Blame Parents For Lamenting Over The High Cost Of Senior High Education In The Country Today.
MAR 7, 2023 LISTEN

I don't think any parents would be complaining about any payment if the government had eaten a humble pie and told Ghanaians the truth of the matter, that the free senior high education we promised your wards, can no longer be free. After all, most parents were willing to support the government but it is only the government that has refused to be helped. It's pride and sheer arrogance that are deepening the economic woes of the country.

Therefore, Instead of reprimanding these frustrated parents for complaining about the cost of items they should provide for their wards to go to school, let's tell the government to stop the politics of the policy and be candid with Ghanaians about the failure of the policy. What many of these poor parents were made to believe was the fact that; their wards were going to enjoy everything free of charge as far as the policy was concerned. We saw the first phase of the programme where students went to school with only their personal stuff. The rest of the items they are being told to bring today were never part of what their parents had to worry about. So, if today the story has changed, shouldn't they lament?

Who didn't see it coming! We all saw it and knew from day one that this policy wasn't feasible. We have always argued that the government should come out clear and tell parents to pay a certain amount of money in support of their wards' education. But the politics in it makes the government hide the truth from parents and Ghanaians in general. But it was written all over the walls; that it wasn't going to work with the kind of system we have here in this country. How will corruption allow us to save money to run a free senior high education for our kids in school?

What is more interesting to note is the fact that many of our politicians don't and wouldn't even send their kids to some schools in this country. The reason is simple. The free senior high school policy came with many challenges and these challenges were huge in some schools that were already not doing too well academically. The structures were not in place in many of these schools, yet they were forced to enrol a massive number of students in their schools. It became a major problem for many schools as to how to feed their students and accommodate them both in classrooms and dormitories respectively.

Furthermore, let's again not try to blame this on COVID, before the pandemic, many schools were already facing accommodation challenges for their students and teachers on various campuses across the country. This was all because of the massive increase in the enrollment of students through the FSHS policy. Meanwhile, we didn't and still don't have the infrastructural and human resource capacity to handle the large numbers we continue to enrol into our senior high schools.

The government failed to supply textbooks, and teaching and learning materials were not given to enable smooth teaching and learning process. All these were a result of our unpreparedness to kick-start the programme, yet political motivation pushed us to implement it knowing very well that a wobbly economic like ours can't support it.

The government even went to the extent of buying common past question papers for students. This was highly uncalled for. In those days, most students had these past questions in their libraries and some parents also bought them for their wards. Since when had it become the business of the government to be buying past questions for students in schools, if not to prove the point indeed, the policy was completely free? It's therefore, our political desires that keep us making certain promises which are detrimental to our economic growth and sustainability as a country.

Another problem that cane with the FSHS policy is the massive production of students who come out but can't even spell their names let alone write any good sentence. Because of a political favour to win or retain power, we refuse to give a cut-off point for enrollment into the senior high schools. Even candidates with the worst grades ranging from 45- 49 were admitted just to demonstrate how the policy was introduced to allow every child to go to school. But what we failed to ask ourselves is whether education ends after senior high school or what. For those students who completed and can't go to school because of their poor grades, what happens to them?

Another side of the story is this, others also managed to pass but they can go to any tertiary institution because of the high cost of tertiary education. Question is, where should education be sponsored, at the basic or tertiary levels? The government has already wasted money on these students at the base level of these students but their parents are still poor to pay for their tertiary education. Isn't it at that point that these students would acquire knowledge to come out and help in the development of the country? But they are home with good grades.

This is the reason why I have always argued that the government should have granted free education to students who want to go to vocational and technical schools. At least, if these students come out, they will be able to use their skills and knowledge in their various vocational and technical programmes to earn a living for themselves and also help reduce the higher rate of unemployment in the country. That's the way any good government should be reasoning. Our governments have woefully failed to be proactive in decision-making. They always also end up setting misplaced priorities through some of these voodoo policies they implement. A lot of these policies also serve as an avenue for corruption where the politicians enrich themselves at the expense of the state.

Finally, your outburst of anger at these poor parents is therefore a wrong transfer of aggression. If you are aggrieved about the complaints of the parents, you must know who to start chastising. For me, it's not the parents that should be blamed. It's rather the arrogance, pride, and extravagance of the government that must be condemned if anybody wants to be fair to the situation at hand now.

No parent would complain if the government comes out and honestly state that, with the free senior high education policy we introduced, things are hard and we can't offer certain services the students were getting free. Therefore, parents should take a certain amount of responsibility and pay for this or that for their wards. At least, people will understand. But you can't have political commentators praising the government every day on radio and television shows for implementing free education, while parents and guardians are being tasked to pay so much to have their kids in schools. This is not fair.

Ghanaians are watching!

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