Private Senior High Schools has been urged to review their fees to enable government include them in the free SHS policy.
According to deputy Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the schools though doing a public good is also a profit making venture.
His comment is in response to a call by the Conference of Heads of Private Senior High Schools (CHOPPS) on government to extend its Free SHS educational policy to cover students in the private SHSs.
At a news conference in Accra, the National Secretary of CHOPPS, Joseph Dzamesi said their schools have been neglected due to the introduction of the free SHS policy.
He maintained that their exclusion is undermining the contribution of private senior high schools in the educational sector.
But Kojo Oppong Nkrumah on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem Thursday said the exclusion of the private SHS is not deliberate.
He explained that, government decided to use only the public schools because it is not a profit making venture and can be easily monitored.
The deputy Information Minister noted that, the free SHS policy launched in line with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Four, Target One, which states: “By 2030, ensure all boys and girls complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education, leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes”.
Their objective, he indicated is to ensure every child across the country is educated.
This notwithstanding, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah commended the private SHS heads for welcoming the policy.
He said government will dialogue with the private SHS heads if they are willing to standardize their cost to ensure the policy is a success.
Listen to Oppong Nkrumah