Ghanaians have been urged to help protect the Free Senior High School policy, which has provided access to secondary education for over 5.7 million young people, by voting for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the upcoming general election.
Speaking on the topic “Protecting Free SHS; Providing Skills for Jobs,” Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister for Education, indicated that the next NPP government is committed to protecting and enhancing Free SHS/TVET, which is truly transforming lives and changing life outcomes for millions of Ghanaians. He emphasized the need for Ghanaians to retain the government in power, indicating that since the government started Free SHS/TVET, enrollment has increased by 83%, and the government is committed to building the foundation for a well-educated, prosperous society.
Speaking at the “Bawumia for Education” program to highlight “The Bawumia Plan for Education,” Dr. Adutwum indicated that with Free SHS/TVET, Ghana has achieved gender parity as more girls are receiving secondary education, adding that the impact will be positive for society.
He indicated that the next NPP government will recruit more teachers at all levels with improved conditions of service; continue to develop additional infrastructure for educational institutions to meet the increased numbers; and offer incentives for teachers to buy one vehicle each, with an engine capacity of up to 1,800 cubic centimeters.
He added that the government will also increase the stock of student accommodation in public universities and other public tertiary institutions to address the housing deficit on campuses and make it affordable for students.
With the successful implementation of Free SHS, he indicated that the next NPP government will also target affordable tertiary education, beginning with Free Tertiary Education Scholarships for PWDs to remove financial barriers to pursuing educational goals. He said the government will also integrate scholarship databases across all public sector institutions managing such schemes to ensure full visibility; expand eligibility for the Student Loan Scheme to include all post-secondary students, including certificate and diploma programs; and prioritize and direct a significant proportion of national scholarship schemes toward training and skills development in STEM.
Focusing on STEM, he indicated that the NPP government has already procured 900,000 tablets for distribution to all secondary school students and distributed 2,718 vehicles of all types to various agencies under the Ministry of Education, helping to improve access and reduce inequalities in education.
He said the government is also working with educational institutions and leading Ghanaian and global tech firms to establish a National Robotics, Engineering, and AI Lab for research and training of young Ghanaians locally.
The Minister for Education added that the NPP government will also fully implement the Centralized Applications Processing Service (CAPS) for tertiary institutions, affording applicants the opportunity to “apply once, and pay once”; establish an Open University; and ensure that those who, after completing their tertiary education, have secured jobs would be exempted from national service.
