Dr. Abdul-Rashid Pelpuo, Member of Parliament for Wa Central, has strongly criticised the government’s Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, citing significant challenges with its implementation.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue with Selorm Adonoo, Dr. Pelpuo argued that the initiative, though well-intentioned, has failed to deliver its promises effectively.
“It’s not one of the successes he should be talking about. When you impose on Ghanaians something you call free, Ghanaians are going through so much pain. So much more money is being spent on a child and you are unable to provide feeding for them.
“Some of the time they feed once a day. What are you doing to the psyche of the many people who are in school? What are you training them to be? It’s terrible.”
His comments follow President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s highlights of his administration’s significant strides in transforming Ghana’s education system, emphasizing the far-reaching impact of the Free Senior High School (SHS) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes.
Delivering his final State of the Nation Address in Parliament on Friday, January 3, 2025, President Akufo-Addo revealed that approximately 5.7 million young Ghanaians have benefitted from these initiatives.