Oxfam International, a Non-Governmental Organization is calling on government to not just focus on free education but also pay attention to quality.
This according to the organization will ensure that teaching and learning are effective in all public schools in the country.
Speaking to Citi News on the sidelines of the launch of a report titled the power of education to fight inequality, Programs and Campaign Manager of Oxfam Ghana, Zakariah Suleman called on government to fight against the mass production of underprepared students from public schools.
“Government should take steps to ensure that teaching and learning are effective in all public schools and that schools are available to all segments of our population without any barriers; cost barriers, geographical barriers among others. So, what we are saying is that even though government has done well by showing commitment through the extension of the basic education to cover free senior high school, there are still thousands of children who enter the classroom and do not learn anything. There are still hundreds and thousands of students who are not able to get into school because the schools are not available within their vicinity or the schools that are available within their vicinity charge fees that their parents cannot pay”.
The free SHS policy has been faced with a myriad of problems with accommodation crisis topping the list.
Several students who are placed in schools with the “day student” status have had challenges accessing lodging facilities.
The government has earmarked about GH¢194.5 million as first-semester fees for senior high school students in the country.
Approximately, GH¢85 million has been earmarked to pay the fees of second-year students, while GH¢95 million would go to underwrite the fees of first-year students.
