The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has indicated that the Free Senior High School Policy, though has positively impacted on the enrollment of students, has been producing poor results.
This was disclosed in a report on the true state of the Ghanaian economy before granting the country an executive board approval for a three years bailout program wealth US$3 billion
The report also disclosed that the flagship program of the governing New Patriotic Party is poorly targeted. The policy currently covers the entire cost of senior high school students, but the IMF insisted that it could have been tailored to target students who really need the policy given their financial conditions.
Consequently, the fund advised the government to also focus attention on primary and teacher training education to help harness the success of the huge investment the state makes into education; which is currently 4 percent of our Gross Domestic Product ( GDP).
"Ghana spends close to 4 percent of GDP on education with good results in terms of enrollment but poor learning outcomes. The flagship program Free Senior High School ( SHS) which covers the full cost of secondary education, has helped increase enrollment but is poorly targeted. Key identified areas for potential improvement of education include strengthening primary education resources, better teaching training, and stronger performance-based funding practices", the report on education reads.
The Free Senior High School Policy has come under severe criticism, especially in the face of the current economic situation the country finds itself. Many have suggested that it should be reviewed to target the poor and needy who cannot afford high school education in the country. However, the ruling government maintains that the policy in its current form has helped countless children from deprived communities who hitherto wouldn't have added access to high school, and hence should not be touched.
The Senior High Schools in the country,
in recent times have encountered problems of food shortage, accommodation challenges to what have you, but the government is still adamant to review it.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0