We need to have comprehensive review of Free SHS policy, says Alan Kyerematen

Former trade minister, Alan Kyerematen has said there must be a comprehensive review of the government’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme.

He said the government must consider the current economic challenges in order to review the flagship programme after seven years of its implementation.

Speaking with Asaase News’s Wilberforce Asaase, Kyerematen said, “You can’t run a programme for seven years without a real objective and comprehensive review… a Free SHS programme feeds very much on government resources and because we’ve had serious challenges with our economy,iIf you are going to continue to provide this kind of budget support to finance a Free SHS programme, then you have to be sure whether it is sustainable or not.”

He said, “This is not about politics. You have to have a sustainable flow of resources to continue financing the Free SHS.”

“So the review that I will undertake will delve into the sustainability of the whole Free SHS programme. It is only when we undertake that exercise – the sustainability analysis that we can now make proposals for reconfiguration or recalibration but to sit and refuse to do any comprehensive analysis, I do not think that is the way forward…” Kyerematen added.

The government launched the pro-poor education programme seven years ago, fulfilling a campaign promise Nana Akufo-Addo made to Ghanaians in the run-up to the 2012 and 2016 elections.

The policy launched across the country with about 400,000 students. An estimated 2.2 million young people have been beneficiaries of the programme so far.

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