President Akufo-Addo is only rolling out a scholarship scheme for Ghanaian school children instead of a free education programme, a leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said.
The President in February assured that his government will fully implement the free Senior High School (SHS) policy from September 2017.
He said at the time that the implementation of the policy will cover the full fees of students who attend public Senior High Schools in the country.
Addressing the press last week, Education Minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh at an encounter with the press last week, announced that the free SHS Programme would start at the start of the 2017/18 academic year.
Under the free SHS policy, beneficiaries will not have to pay admission fees, library fees, science centre fees, no computer lab fees, no examination fees and no utility fees, according to the government.
The free SHS policy will also cover agricultural, vocational and technical institutions at the secondary school level.
Students held back during their secondary education for non-performance will not be catered for in their extra year of study under the Free Senior High School education policy.
The conditions attached, Chief Biney speaking on Adom FM’s Morning Show, ‘Dwaso Nsem’ said makes the policy one akin to a scholarship scheme and not a free education policy.
According to him, the government is fast shifting the goalpost on the policy and rather implementing the progressively free education policy the NDC always argued.
“If the Free SHS is covering only first years and not continuing students, then it is a scholarship scheme and not free SHS as the government had promised…,” he said.
VIDEO: 'Akufo-Addo only providing a scholarship scheme not free education'
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