Will Free SHS Be Safe Under An NDC/JDM Government?

As a Teacher, and more importantly, as a parent, the issue of Education is of great importance to me, I have therefore religiously followed every debate that is based on education. I have listened to all the political talk shows on education, since the NPP and Nana ADDO begun to champion the FREE SHS POLICY, (FSHS). I have listened to the hot and cold air, being blown by the NDC and JDM. I have also listened to the latest statement by JDM.

THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS MUST BE ANSWERED BY ALL OF US, NOT AS OBJECTIVELY AS WE COULD, BUT AS OBJECTIVELY AS IT WILL APPEAL TO COMMON SENSE.

1. DO WE NEED FSHS?
2. MUST IT BE NOW?
3. ARE THERE CHALLENGES WITH THE ROLL OUT OF THE FSHS PLOICY?

4. IS GOVERNMENT DEALING WITH THE CHALLENGES?
5. CAN WE ENTRUST THE CONTINUATION OF FSHS UNDER THE NDC/JDM?

Secondary Education, undoubtedly has become the basic level of education required of every Ghanaian child, today. In the recent past however, affordability had been a barrier to many children, moving on to the secondary school. When I was in active service as a Teacher at the Business Secondary School in Tamale, I saw many students struggling to pay their fees, in fact, there were times that we had to sack closer to half, the school’s population, for non payment of school fees. I know too well too that, many Ghanaian children could not take up their places at the schools they were placed, simply because of the inability of their parents to raise the needed fees.

I also know from experience that, many of those who are able to raise the fees, report to school very late, some times, after half the academic term is gone.

It is quite indisputable that, the good children of Ghana deserve FSHS.

It is important to state it here that, the initial stand of the NDC/JDM was that, FSHS was not good. They argued that it was implemented in Kenya and it failed the education of their children and further went ahead to site a saying by Dr. Mensah Otabil, that, Education can not be free if there must be good quality. I have read many, saying that, the NDC/JDM never condemned FSHS. IT IS ONLY FAIR THAT, THOSE WHO WISH TO SAY THOSE UNTRUTHS, JUST CREDIT US WITH SOME LITTLE RETENTIVE MEMORIES.

Do we need FSHS now?
It is very important for us to understand that, any child who has been denied secondary education, will not just become a liability, but will most likely become a threat to social order and National Security. So, what it means is that, the more we delay in clearing the way for Secondary Education of our children, the more we are creating an obstacle to our economic development and more importantly, the more we are building a team of potential rogues who will one day hijack our collective liberties. Once it’s indisputable that secondary education is necessary for both economic and social development, why delay a policy which is meant to facilitate it.

On the issue of time, I have heard the NDC/JDM say, we may need about twenty years, to begin its implementation. In fact, this was the second stand they took, after initially claiming that it was bad. They shifted the goal posts because they realized that the proposed policy was gaining grounds.

They then begun the debate of accessibility. They went ahead to promise the construction of the Day Secondary Schools.

It is a fact that, infrastructure plays an important role in the development of the education of a State, this is true, I agree with it, but we can not and must not trade off making Secondary Education affordable, with the need for infrastructure.

In any case with the rapid population growth that we are experiencing as a nation, it’s never possible for us to say that, we shall have adequate infrastructure in say ten years to come, so that we can go ahead and allow the Ghanaian child, access to Secondary Education.

It is important to note that, the NDC/JDM, after disturbing our ears with the need for infrastructure before FSHS, was able to complete less that 40 of the E-Blocks they started, in the whole of their four years in office. The information available to me suggests that, we need over 500 of such blocks to fully accommodate the increasing numbers, and if we have to go by the less than 40 per four years, the record of the NDC/JDM,God knows when we shall be ready for FSHS.

The time for free SHS is now.
Are there challenges with the roll out?
Since independence, the FSHS is the most expensive education policy we have ever rolled out. The policy entailed Government paying all the approved fees at the secondary level, provide all the core text books and exercise books, feed day students once a day, provide school uniforms and others. The first year alone, costed us over a whopping four hundred million Ghana Cedis. This year, the amount will more than double. This is not a joking amount, considering the size of our Economy.

The first challenge that arrived with the roll out, is resource constraint.

Then came the issue with the increment in the number of students accepting the placement, once the barrier has been removed, the numbers must, and did increase.

Is Government dealing with the challenges of the roll out?

If there is anything that has held the black man backward, in our history, it is our conservative nature. We have not been able to think outside the box in many of the difficulties we have found ourselves in, for generations now. IAM however glad that, for the first time, we have been able to develop a solution to deal with the huge numbers the FSHS has come with, by thinking outside the box, and we all need to commend the Government for that. Under normal circumstances, we would have thrown our hands in the air and say, we have no space for the huge numbers, so we shall take just what we can and allow the rest to stay home, but thank God, we have a Government with men of brains, so we have the DOUBLE TRACK SYSTEM (DTS)TO COUNTER THE CHALLENGE OF NUMBERS, BROUGHT BY FSHS. IAM HAPPY AND PROUD OF MY GOVERNMENT.

The adoption of the DTS clearly demonstrates Government’s sincere intention of making Secondary Education, Truly affordable and accessible to all. What a lazy and an insincere Government wold have done would have been to remain in the box, enroll what number we can, and ask that the rest should go and rot. This would have reduced the cost burden on government, the fewer, the merrier.

I heard the former president, JDM, say, there is no sense in the DTS, did the good people of Ghana expected him to see the sense in it? No, you need to understand some thing to appreciate the sense in it, if you don’t, how would you see the sense in it.

Finally, can we entrust the continuation of FSHS under NDC/JDM?

I have, CHRONOLOGICALLY, PRESENTED THE ATTITUDE OF THE NDC AND JDM TOWARDS FSHS. IT ALL BEGUN WITH, “THE POLICY IS BAD, IT COLLAPSED EDUCATION IN KENYA AND SOUTH AFRICA”. “EVEN DR. MENSAH OTABIL SAYS SO”. They kept playing that aspect of Dr. Mensah Otabil’s preachings on radio Gold, and the Church had to issue press statements.

THEN CAME A SHIFT TO, “IT CAN NOT BE DONE NOW, WE NEED AT LEAST 20YEARS TO IMPLEMENT IT.

JUST WHEN THE ELECTION WERE AT THE CORNER, THEY DECLARED FREE SHS IN BOARDING SCHOOLS.

FAST FORWARD, TODAY, THEY ARE SAYING THAT, THERE IS NO SENSE IN THE DTS AND THAT, THEY WILL REVISE THE WHOLE POLICY, IF GIVEN THE CHANCE TO GOVERN GHANA AGAIN.

IT IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT TO CAREFULLY REVIEW THE STATE OF THE MANY SOCIAL POLICIES THEY INHERITED FROM THE KUFFOUR’S GOVERNMENT, AS AT THE TIME THEY LEFT OFFICE, IN 2017.

Metro mass transit,
National Health Insurance,
School Feeding,
Youth Employment,
Leap, etc,
Were all in comma as at the time they left office. Not only were they not able to sustain them, but they also turned them into creations for the looting and the sharing of state resources- not my words, but the words of a Supreme Court Judge.

I will leave a response to this question;
“WILL FSHS SURVIVE UNDER THE NDC/JDM?”
to every objective reader to answer, I rest my case.

TEACHER TAHIRU.