Policy Advisor for the PPP, Kofi Siaw says President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo must “hold on” for a while, the implementation of his ‘Free SHS’ education.
He explained that, the Nana Add-led government must put the right measures in order before commencing the policy.
According to Kofi Siaw, the Progress People’s Party is against the idea to use the Heritage Fund as the main source of funding to finance the policy which will kick start in September.
“Education is very keen to the PPP and we even hope the Free SHS policy by Nana Addo will be bigger than what it will be. The Free Education must start from basic education [from kindergarten to JHS 3] not SHS alone.”
“If basic education is not free, then there is no need for any free SHS education to be implemented. Government must hold on to the policy and plan very well before even thinking about how to fund it” he said in an interview on NEAT FM’s morning show, Ghana Montie.
Earlier this week, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, assured that the Akufo-Addo government has no intention of touching the Heritage Fund to bankroll the Free Senior High School policy.
“We are not going to touch the Heritage Fund to be able to support the free SHS education,” Ofori-Atta told Accra-based Joy FM.
Mr Ofori-Atta’s explanation follows a comment by Senior Minister Yaw Osafo Marfo that the government may rely on the oil kitty to fund the Free SHS policy.
Mr Osafo Marfo stated at a forum in Accra on Tuesday 14 February that: “We have to make an amendment to say that X per cent of the Heritage Fund, or the Petroleum Fund will be used to support second cycle education. If we think that industry requires a certain stimulus that will enable jobs to be created and you are creating a job to build Ghana, you can look at it and put in a certain amount. We are [also] looking at agriculture.”
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