Free SHS Has Come To Stay: I Support Any Bill That Will Improve Education – Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama has said that free Senior High School has come to stay and that he favours any bill that intends to improve education in Ghana.

He refuted claims that, he will cancel the free SHS policy and emphasised that, he first launched the policy by introducing progressively free SHS and therefore those claims that he will calcel it are not true.

Mr Mahama was Commenting on the Free Senior High School Bill expected to be introduced by the Akufo-Addo government, Mr Mahama said at a media engagement in Accra on Sunday, July 7 that the Bill must be subjected to stakeholder engagement.

“I support any bill that will improve our education, one to make it sustainable, two to afford quality education for our children, and also any bill that will achieve this is something that  I will support.

“I haven’t seen the Bill and I don’t think that it has been subjected yet to stakeholder consultation but we would want to see the Bill and I am sure that when Cabinet has approved it it will be laid in parliament when it is valid in parliament as parliamentarian the normal action is to refer it to the committee responsible.

“I am hoping that when that Bill is referred to the committee responsible it will do the proper stakeholder consultation so that we all can be of on board. If you are making fundamental changes to our educational system I think that parents, teachers and everybody who has a stake in education must be involved.”

Stakeholders have been asking the government to engage the, on the Bill.

For instance, the President of the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, King Ali Awudu said that with such a major Bill, it is only apt that key stakeholders such as the teacher unions are consulted.