Separate Free SHS issues from the general challenges facing the educational system - Lecturer

A former Lecturer at the University of Ghana (UG)and Political Scientists, Dr Bonsu Osei-Wusu has backed the President’s claims that some persons on social media are deliberately running down the Free SHS policy.

According to him, people are talking about the implementation of the Free SHS because they do not understand the education system.

“The Free SHS brought its own problems, but we have to separate it from the peculiar problems to the Free SHS, and look at the problems with our education system in general. Because if you say that the Government is not sending grants to somewhere because of Free SHS, I do not agree with you. It has been a problem in Ghana over the years, and so let us look at ways we can solve that problem,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo accused some media houses of campaigning against the Free SHS policy when he was speaking at a ceremony at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) on Saturday May 29, where an Honorary Doctorate degree was conferred on him.

“A radio station is currently running a campaign against Free SHS. During the last election, I got the impression that Free SHS was endorsed by all parties and all that was needed to do was keep improving it. Would a spirited defence of Frees SHS constitute an attack on press freedom? I wonder,” the President said.

Speaking on Atinka TV’s morning show with co-host, Abena Dufie Asare- Adjepong, Dr Bonsu Osei-Wusu explained further that before 2017, the three Northern Regions had free education, but alleged that the students went home almost every term because government grants were not flowing as expected.

“If now the government grant has not come, is it free SHS that has brought it or it is a problem with our education. Someone said they do not have textbooks; when the Free SHS came, they have not changed syllables, and so where are the textbooks they were using?” he said.

Dr Bonsu Osei-Wusu, who was of the belief that some people were working to bring the Free SHS policy down said, “If you know about education, the last time we wrote textbook for SHS elective subjects in Ghana was 1993, since then, no government has bought textbooks.”

He added: "Let us separate the problems, something like congestion in schools, lack of furniture and all those things because the Free SHS has increased the number of students. The Problems were already there, if there are no textbooks, it has nothing to do with Free SHS.”