The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has defended President John Dramani Mahama’s approach to the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy, insisting that the programme is undergoing a structured and effective review aimed at improving its implementation.
He made the remarks during the commissioning of a PET Scan facility at the Swedish Ghana Medical Centre in Accra on Wednesday, May 13.
Mr. Iddrisu explained that the President’s call for a review of Free SHS had been widely misunderstood, noting that it was never intended to abolish the policy but to critically assess how it is being implemented.
“President Mahama meant a critical evaluation of the implementation of the Free Senior High School,” he said.
He outlined three key areas under the review process: financing, infrastructure, and quality assurance, the latter involving the role of teachers in ensuring standards are maintained.
According to him, the restructuring has already begun yielding results, particularly in the management of funding and resources for the programme.
He pointed to the decoupling of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) as a key decision that has made additional resources available to address challenges such as food supply in senior high schools.
“In a reviewed manner, there would no longer be any food shortages to CHASS and to any secondary school,” he said, adding that financing under the review process is already improving.
Mr. Iddrisu further stated that President Mahama had kept faith with his commitment to reassess the policy in order to strengthen its delivery and sustainability.
“John Dramani Mahama has kept his word,” he added.
