President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, has indicated that the free Senior High School programme has come to stay.
“The Free SHS is a start towards this goal. It is a policy that has come to stay” he said while delivering his second state of the Nations Address, Thursday in Parliament.
The policy which is in line with the government’s resolve to make public Senior High Schools(SHS) accessible and free to ease the burden on parents who cannot afford School fees for their wards, was rolled out last year for close to 400,000 beneficiaries.
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According to President Akufo-Addo, an educated and skilled workforce is needed to be able to operate the modern economy being created.
He said government is reforming the schools’ curricula to deal with the weaknesses the education system.
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President Akufo-Addo noted however that, his government will lay greater emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (S.T.E.M), reading, history, and technical and vocational skills.
The President stressed that the reform of schools’ curricula should instill in the youth respect for the traditional values of discipline, fellow-feeling, hard work, honesty, integrity, and patriotism, without which no healthy, social development can occur.
“A look at the national budget would tell you we are spending a lot of money on education” he maintained.