Public Relations Officer National Council of Parents and Teachers Association (PTA), Mrs. Irene Sam has urged the government to permit parents to bear some costs regarding the free Senior High School programme.
“As a PTA over the years there’s no policy by the government that we have refused… when free SHS got implemented we agreed to it…and the government made us understand it is free…and it was going to take up all the costs …. no parents will be ungrateful towards the effort the government has put into education.
“…however we were suggested that the government should allow us to support the policy because there are so many schools in Ghana,” she said.
This comes after the Presbyterian Church of Ghana has added its voice to the growing calls for the review of the Free SHS programme.
The Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, Reverend Professor Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante made the call at its 22nd General Assembly to allow parents to bear some costs.
“The Presbyterian Church of Ghana is of the strong opinion that the state can churn out some of these costs for parents who are capable of paying to do so. Several parents are capable of funding their ward’s studies.”
Speaking on Oman Yi Mu Nsem with the host, Alhassan Bin Jibril Spelele on OilCity Radio, in Kwesimintsim-Takoradi stated that despite the government’s efforts to create quality education, the education sector is currently in shambles due to financial crisis facing the economy.
“We believe there will be a time the country will go through financial difficulties…which may affect free SHS policy…and if that happens we will lose the quality of free SHS …. you realised that just recently there were food issues, and WAEC debt…”
She further mentioned parents have made to prove their willingness to support the government on this course.
“All these years PTA has been supporting …past these academic years the government provides core textbooks and parents to provide the elective textbooks…. parents by exercise books …so parents have been contributing their quota since day one,” she explained.
Additionally, she urged the general public not to politicise the current difficulties facing the free SHS program.
“The programme should not be politicised …if we keep politicising it the government won’t be able to decide if parents should bear some cost or not…because they will think they were unable to fulfil its promise to Ghanaians.”
