Otumfuo punches holes in free SHS

THE ASANTEHENE, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has expressed concern about the current state of free Senior High School (SHS) social intervention policy.

According to him, he is not impressed about the current situation whereby beneficiaries of the policy are often sent home due to feeding and other pressing challenges.

Otumfuo has therefore called for proper review of the policy to ensure that students from affluent homes, who could pay fees are made to pay to help save the policy.

“The current state of the free SHS programme where there are reported cases of beneficiary students being starved in school is not necessary”, the King openly fumed.

Continuing, he said “the free SHS where students spent few days in school and are sent back home due to hunger, thereby disrupting proper academic calendar is not the best”.

The Asantehene was speaking when the current Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu and some officials of his ministry paid a courtesy call on him at the Manhyia Palace.

Otumfuo indicated that the free SHS programne is good but clearly there is something wrong with its management, which has therefore culminated in numerous challenges.

He has therefore proposed for a broader consultation from stakeholders to ensure how best the programme should be managed so that students would not be adversely affected.

“We should all bring ideas about the free SHS. I think we should manage it well so as to ensure students are well fed and stay in school to study to enhance their education.

“I will say it again, those who can pay should be made to pay and those who cannot pay should be allowed to enjoy the policy fully. The wholesale implementation of the policy is not working”, he said.

The free SHS social intervention programme was the flagship policy of ex-President Nana Akufo-Addo’s New Patriotic Party (NPP) government and it was introduced in 2017.

But the programme has recently suffered feeding and other challenges, which has sparked debate among Ghanaians, regarding the sustainability of the programme.

The Asantehene’s opening remarks about the free SHS programme clearly shows that indeed something should be done in earnest about the social intervention policy.