Former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon, Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah has said the Free SHS programme since its implementation has not achieved its aim.
According to him, he raised some red flags about the flagship policy since 2012 and after sharing them with the powers that be, nothing has been achieved.
Speaking on the ‘AM Show’ on Joy News today, the programme still did not provide wholesome satisfaction to the country’s education.
He indicated that ideas he proposed to government to help shape the Free SHS programme were thrashed.
“I have had my own ideas about Free SHS since 2012 and I made my ideas known to the current president. I took the opportunity to go and chat with him and he put me in touch with his committee that was working on the policy.
“I had a lot of discussions with them, but unfortunately my ideas were said to be incompatible with the Presidents objectives. I have no quarrel with that.
“He came in in 2016 and with a few modifications here and there started implementing it, but I still had the view that the way it was being implemented was going to create a lot of problems, challenges not only in education, but even in the general economy. I felt the way it was being implemented was unsustainable,” he said to the host.
According to him, the policy should have only covered needy students.
“If those who can afford to pay for the fees of their children are made to pay it would help educate the students whose parents unfortunately cannot afford to fund their education.”
He added that the wholesale policy was delving a heavy blow on the struggling economy.
