NDC manifesto: Private schools to be included in Free SHS

Ghana’s recognised opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has promised to include private schools to the President Akufo-Addo’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme introduced in 2017.

The Akufo-Addo led government in September 2017 implemented the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) to allow successful BECE candidates further their education in public Senior High School free of charge.

Information gathered by Georgeweb.org on the free SHS website indicates that the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy covers only students in government or public Senior High Schools (SHSs) and not private ones.

But, the former Education Minister, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang giving highlights of the NDC 2020 manifesto on Monday, September 7, said the John Mahama government when voted into power in 2021 will make Free SHS better by including include private schools into the programme.

The running mate of NDC’s flagbearer speaking further said: “The next NDC administration will make the Free Senior High Schools programme better by addressing its challenges and extending the policy to cover students in private Senior High Schools and also abolish the double-track system”.

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The double-track system has been temporarily adopted to solve the issue of overcrowding in some public Senior High Schools across the country amid unexpected enrollment of qualified students from Junior High Schools.

Source: Georgeweb.org