Prime News Ghana

University Professor questions reasons for implementing free SHS policy to the detriment of basic education. 

By Justice Kofi Bimpeh
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Head of Research and Associate Professor of Applied Micro Econometrics at the Department of Economics at the University of Cape Coast has questioned government's motive for implementing a free SHS policy that focuses on secondary education while statistics from the Ghana Statistical Service showed a lot of Ghanaians drop out at the basic education level.

Professor Samuel Kwabena Anim said the statistics from the Ghana Statistical Service has put Ghanaians into four main categories, those who do not have any form of education 20%, those who have up to BECE 44%, above basic education 17% and above secondary education 14%.

With these statistics, Professor Anim believes government's focus should rather have been on how to tackle the very problems at the basic school levels making difficult for students at this level to survive. 

Vice President Dr Bawumia speaking at University of Cape Coast’s school of Institutional Advancement Lecture on Wednesday said as part of ways to build a productive capacity and a strong Ghanaian economy there will be inclusive participating in the economy by all Ghanaians.

He said the free SHS policy by the government is a signal of their determination to get a lot of people educated because education is one of the ways to deal with underdevelopment. 

 Speaking on the same platform in reactions to the statement of the vice president, Professor Anim said even without free SHS, secondary education has seen doubling increase in the percentage of students who access this education. 

"those who finish SHS in 1991 were 6%, in 1998/99-10%, 2005/2006-13% and in 2012/2013-14," he said.

According to him, the question Ghanaians should be asking is how would this free SHS policy in terms of investment and economic output translate to the number we see completing secondary education in 2020.

He also noted the argument by President Akuffo-Addo that if not of free SHS over 100,000 students would not have gain access to secondary education is recommendable but he questioned how this will translate into poverty reduction. Â