Free SHS: Ofori-Atta's opinion not government policy - Adutwum

The Ministry of Education has reacted to a suggestion by Ken Ofori Atta that persons who can afford to pay fees for the education of their wards be excluded from the government's Free Senior High School (SHS) Programme.

According to the Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, spoke for himself as a parent and that, that does not represent the government’s position on the policy.

He insisted what Mr Ofori-Atta said is not a policy statement, thus, his personal opinion.

Read also: Free SHS: Persons who can pay must be excluded - Ofori-Atta suggests

The government is facing some challenges in the financing of the flagship free SHS education programme and in a television interview on Citi TV Monday, Mr Ofori Atta suggested that parents who can afford should be allowed to pay for the fees of their wards.

Related: Free SHS: Parents must pay for feeding - ISODEC

But reacting in a radio interview with Accra based Class FM, Dr Yaw Adutwum, the Deputy Minister of Education said, “For making such a statement I will rather applaud him for making a statement that said we cherish your opinions, bring your ideas.”

Related: Report on free SHS shows overcrowding in schools

Asked whether government will not look at the substance of the idea going forward and review the free SHS policy, Dr Yaw Adutwum said: “We are talking about some people should pay, others should not, and there is a history in this country, over 60 years of history where secondary education I think the feeding component was free.”

“In a country where people are not mandated to file their income taxes, how do you know who can afford and who cannot afford, so it is a very good conversation, different countries different metrics,” Dr Adutwum said.

Read also: Not too late for national dialogue on Free SHS - Mahama