Dr. Clement Apaak, the Member of Parliament for Builsa South, has explained that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would improve the implementation of the Free Senior High School (SHS) program if elected, rather than altering the policy itself.
“When we speak about improving it, we are not talking about the policy itself because the policy is one that we have all accepted. It has come to stay. It is the implementation and the challenges associated with it that need addressing.”
However, he criticized the current administration for not reviewing the policy’s effectiveness over nearly eight years, stating that this lack of review does not make sense.
The NDC proposes to address various challenges associated with the policy, such as decentralizing feeding arrangements and tackling corruption within the buffer stock system.
The party also plans to abolish the double-track system, provide tablets and laptops for students, and extend Free SHS coverage to include private schools. “We believe that if we tackle these challenges, it will improve the policy and lead to better outcomes,” he said.
Additionally, the NDC MP noted that the proposed support for first-year tertiary students, by covering their tuition fees, aims to alleviate the financial burden on students and their families. Dr. Apaak highlighted that this proposal is a response to public concerns and appeals for financial assistance from students.
“This proposal came to us as a result of complaints, interactions, and even public appeals for donations to support brilliant students who graduated from secondary school and are finding it difficult to pay their fees.”
To fund this initiative, he said the NDC intends to reallocate up to 1 billion Ghana cedis from government machinery expenses. “If we can save up to 1 billion Ghana cedis from cuts to allocations at the Office of Government Machinery, then we will have enough money to implement this policy,” he added.
Source: A1Radioonline.Com | 101.1MHz | Gifty Eyram Kudiabor | Accra
