Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia has said contrary to the pessimistic views of some Ghanaians with the Free Senior High School, the policy has not compromised the quality of the country’s education system but had improved it tremendously.
According to the Vice President, the data from the 2020 WASSCE result released by the West African Examinations Council has vindicated the government.
Speaking at the closing session of the National Chief Imam’s annual Ramadan lectures (Tafsir) in Accra, Dr. Bawumia said the remarkable record of the first batch of beneficiaries of Free SHS among four West African countries, proved that the government has not compromised quality education.
He said when the government introduced the Free SHS policy, “some people opposed it and said quality education would be compromised. But the 2020 West Africa Senior High School Examination shows that if anything, the free senior high school has improved the quality of education in Ghana.”
“The WAEC with countries like Sierra Leone, Gambia, Nigeria, Ghana; the results show that of the total number of students who took the exam, there was a total number of 465 who got A in all their 8 subjects. Of the 465 in all these countries, 411 came from Ghana. The other 54 came from Nigeria but Nigerian students were 70% of all the students who took the exams but Ghana got 411 8As and they (Nigeria) got 54 8As.”
“That tells you the quality that we have produced. We should not underestimate what we are capable of and we should not underestimate what we are capable of.”
Vice President Bawumia said the Free SHS is helping the students as well as parents “because they don’t have to pay.”
Dr. Bawumia urged all, particularly members of the Zongo community and other deprived communities to seize the equal opportunity and access to education the Akufo-Addo government has provided.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD
