Free SHS is potholes infested – Joyce Bawa Mogtari

Free SHS is potholes infested according to Joyce Bawa Mogtari, an aide to former President John Mahama.

She holds the view due to the challenges that the policy is faced with. In her estimation, the Free SHS has many cracks and massive potholes’ under the Akufo-Addo administration that need to be worked on.

The key shortcoming includes the lack of resources (teaching and learning facilities, educators and poor infrastructure).

Joyce Bawa said the former President Mahama has no intention of scrapping the policy. She spoke about this at Class FM on Friday, 22 November 2019.

She added that a newly elected President Mahama will not scrap the Free SHS as being communicated by the NPP. “President Mahama has always claimed that we need facilities and well-motivated teachers to enforce the Free SHS policy entirely.

According to her, the government is a continuous process and the 1992 constitution even shows that free education needs to take place slowly. I don’t see how anyone can scrap the Free SHS.

President Mahama can keep SHS free of charge but has lots to add to it and deal with the many cracks, the worst part of Free SHS is infrastructure and Mahama has what it takes to deal with it she asserted.

”For the first time, there are no textbooks, teachers. There are a lot of cracks, its crooked and has enormous potholes. Free SHS is fantastic for those who need it if its a bad program what are you going to gain.”

She also warned Ghana that the rate of literacy has never been small. She added that studies have shown that the illiteracy rate has remained flat with Free SHS.

Last week, during the presentation of the 2020 budget, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta congratulated the government of Akufo-Addo for the achievements he mentioned in the educational sector.

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However, the University of Ghana’s ISSER has also urged the government of Akufo Addo to consider reviewing the Free Senior School (SHS).

ISSER claimed that for the enhancement of the free SHS system the government has to address issues of equity and sustainability.