Professor at the University of Ghana, Dr Sampson Obed Appiah
• Dr Obed Appiah called on the government to address the challenges under FreeREE SHS
• He described Free SHS as the most unfortunate policy in our education system
• He made it known in an interview with TV XYZ
A lecturer from the University of Ghana, Dr Sampson Obed Appiah, described the dual track system under the free high schools policy initiated by the Akufo-Addo government as the “most unfortunate policy” in history of the country’s education system.
The dual track system which saw dozens of SHS students run a rotating system was introduced to accommodate the increased number of students admitted to the schools following the introduction of the free SHS policy.
Despite efforts by the government to address the infrastructural deficit of graduate institutions across the country, most campuses still lack basic facilities such as classrooms, dormitories and dining halls to accommodate all students. .
Speaking on Tonton Sansan on TV XYZ, Dr Obed Appiah instructed policymakers and government to urgently address the challenges posed by Free SHS. He noted that there has been a decline in the quality of education in high schools.
“Because we could not plan for free SHS in advance, there was an infrastructure deficit which negatively affects the quality of education.
“Dual track has been the most unfortunate policy in our education system due to the loss of contact hours. Parents would have to spend more on extra lessons, giving way to capitalism that favors the rich at the expense of the poor and thus gradually creating a class system in the education sector to enable the wealthy to be able to ensure that their children receive a quality education,” he said.
Dr Obed Appiah added that most parents have been financially overburdened by the policy as they have no choice but to pay teachers money as extra tuition fees to help their wards with the House.
“I attended Mawuli school for 3 years, but the only time I had extra lessons was when I was in my final year, but today it’s not like that. Someone told me in Peki that he pays GH¢200 cedis for each basic subject for his parish to be taught at home.
He added, “Something needs to be done because when students do not get a quality education, they will struggle at tertiary level.”
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