Logistics Won’t Be Problem For Free SHS – NAPO

With the onset of the Free Senior High School policy just a couple of weeks away, the Education Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has assured that government will provide all logistics needed for the smooth take-off of the policy to schools before they reopen.

Speaking at a meeting with District Directors of Education in the Eastern Region, Dr. Opoku Prempeh the necessary logistics money needed to run the schools under the policy will be ready before the program takes off.

Public senior high schools are set to re-open on September 11, 2017.

“… everything on the bill is being sent to the schools apart from six things that we wanted to exceed economies of scale; exercise books, notebooks, technical drawing equipment, P.E. kits, textbooks and literature books… these things that we are procuring before school reopens. Every schoo will get its quota.”

“The books are for three years; the first year, second-year, third year, “he added, further assuring that “if there are shortfalls, we will top up.” A total number of 460,941 registered candidates Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) graduates qualified to enjoy the Free SHS programme in the over-600 public Senior High Schools across the country.

There have been some hitches with the placement of some the students, with 267, 327 candidates securing places in schools of their choice, while 150, 770 candidates could not be placed in a school of their choice.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) provided the affected students another opportunity to choose from available schools.

The policy will ensure that government absorbs the full cost of public secondary education, with beneficiaries not having to pay admission fees, examination fees and utility fees, among others, according to the government.