NAGRAT Skeptical About Free SHS

The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) is skeptical about the feasibility of the free senior high school policy of the Mahama-led government. President of NAGRAT, Christian Addae-Poku, said the track record of government in the educational sector does not give them confidence in the policy. His concerns come after government announced that new and continuing students in day senior high schools will no longer pay tuition fees. This has been absorbed by government as part of its policy to make day secondary school free at all levels. President Mahama announced this when he commissioned the Otuam Community Day Senior High School (SHS) in the Central Region. This is in fulfillment of the NDC�s promise to build 200 senior high schools across the country before December 2016. But Mr Addae-Poku fears the announcement of the policy will rather affect the standard of educations in public schools. He explained that under the current conditions in the education sector where chalk, teaching and learning materials are in short supply, making education free will worsen the situation. Though they are not against the policy in principle, the NAGRAT president says its implementation now will only churn out half-baked students. He fears government�s announcement will stop parents from making the necessary investments in their children�s education. �If you look at it carefully because education is free at the basic level, standards have gone so low compared to the private schools,� he added. Mr Addae-Poku urged government to first consider the infrastructure and teacher deficit in the country before rolling out the free SHS policy.