Govt has ‘reviewed’ and expanded Free SHS by adding TVET – MoE deputy PRO

 

The deputy PRO for the Ministry of Education, Yaw Opoku Mensah debunking claims Free SHS policy in the coming days will be reviewed by the government has said the programme rather has been expanded to include TVET.

In a presentation at T. I. Ahmadiyya Secondary School at a program dubbed ICT Week celebration, the spokesman said “the government has never said anywhere of a possible review of the Free SHS program due to economic constraints.

Opoku Mensah told students at the event “if you look at the posture of government in relation to free education, the government has rather expanded the program by introducing Free TVET with same nature as the Grammar Schools.”

Yaw at the ICT Week celebration under the theme; “the need to leave a positive digital footprint on the internet” said the inclusion of Technical and Vocational Education and Training to Free SHS is to enable more students to benefit.

The MoE spokesperson comment come after some local media outlets reported the Minister for Information, Hon Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has said the government among other 15 flagship policies will review the 5-year-old Free SHS.

“All the 16 flagship programs are up to be looked at. The President has directed that the flagship programs should be protected and fully implemented to ensure that the impact is achieved,” Hon Kojo reportedly told Citi FM on Monday.

But the government spokesman in an interview monitored by EducationWeb told Kumasi- based Akoma FM he was misquoted and that he never said the free school policy introduced in September 2017 will be reconsidered.

“I have never said anywhere that Free SHS will be reviewed but the technical teams are going through the 2022 budget to make some possible adjustments,” the Ofoase-Ayirebi Member of Parliament told host of Akoma FM’s GhanAkoma.

He added “some media personnel are misquoting me but I want to categorically state that I haven’t said that government will review the most touted policy Free SHS but there are ongoing adjustments to review some policies,”

SOURCE: EDUCATIONWEB