The pre-tertiary education teacher unions in the country have called on political parties to include in their manifestos for the general election 2024 a review of the Free Senior High School/Technical, Vocational and Training (SHS/TVET) programme.
The call needs the support of all.
Usually, political parties put together manifestos for elections and these include whatever they intend to implement to better the lot of the people.
Oftentimes, however good some policies or programmes are, they are abandoned when there is a change of government.
In the face of that, we can interpret the call by the teacher unions as one seeking continuity for a policy that is for the national good no matter which party birthed it.
In September 2017, the Akufo-Addo administration started the implementation of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme, which had been its manifesto promise.
This was a promise that was criticised by opponents of Akufo-Addo from the day he mentioned it and the criticism has persisted even during its implementation.
Now there are calls for its review for various reasons, including lack of funding, lack of infrastructure because the policy has increased secondary school enrolment, and lack of adequate human resource to handle it.
Even some critics say the wholesale implementation of the policy was rushed and that they would have preferred a progressive implementation in which case they would have done things bit by bit.
At a point, even some critics called for its scrapping.
In the face of the hullabaloo, we guess the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana (CCT-GH) are entertaining fears that the Free SHS policy can suffer a wreck, hence their call.
Their idea behind the call that the policy must be depoliticised and made a national initiative that would be implemented within the parameters of Article 25(1) (b) of the 1992 constitution and supervised by the Ghana Education Service rather than the Free SHS Secretariat is very good.
This is because in that case, the policy now ceases to one man’s initiative that can be ignored by his opponents.
According to Article 25 1b of the 1992 Constitution, secondary education in its different forms, including technical and vocational education, shall be made generally available and accessible to all by every appropriate means.
Also Goal 4 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) expects that by 2030, nations should ensure that all girls and boys complete free equitable and quality primary and secondary education.
The implementation of the Free SHS programme in the country therefore serves a purpose that even has global acceptance and encouragement.
It has provided hope to children who otherwise could not have attained secondary or high school education mostly due to cost barriers.
Secondary education prepares learners for higher education or the workforce having developed their intellectual, social, and emotional skills and positioned them for critical thinking, creativity, and independence.
Thus, we support the call for political parties to pay significant attention to the Free SHS programme for it is a tool for national development.
