The Finance Minister, Hon. Ken Ofori-Atta has said that Free Secondary and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) education are not under review.
Following suggestions by experts to review the policy, the Minister said the government will not compromise on its commitment to give all children the opportunity to be educated.
“We shall not compromise on President Akufo-Addo’s commitment to giving all our children the opportunity to be educated from kindergarten to university, without the ability to pay being a hindrance.
“We will continue to fund them and we will continue to improve them,” the Minister said.
He disclosed that by far the government has assured that out of the 571,892 registered JHS candidates, 555,353, representing 97.1 percent, were placed into SHS this year.
Ofori-Atta also announced that the government has also completed 17 additional projects including classroom blocks, dormitories, staff bungalows, and libraries as part of the infrastructural expansion in Senior High Schools. To deal with the record increases in student numbers.
In response to the reported challenges in accessing and transporting food for students in SHS, he said “we have engaged stakeholders and devised a programme that ensures that schools will not be disrupted and our students are well-fed.”
“Thanks to taxpayers, since January, 3,620,468 pupils in 10,832 public basic schools have been fed with one hot meal every school-going day in the first half of the year under the Ghana School Feeding Programme. The programme employs 32,496 caterers”
He noted that the school feeding programme remains an important initiative that keeps children in school and provides jobs and incomes for several people, mainly women.
