Free SHS Is One Of The Boldest Decisions Ever In Ghana - Ken Attafuah

The executive secretary of the National Identification Authority (NIA), Professor Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, believes that the Free SHS programme introduced by the government in 2017 is one of the boldest decisions ever taken in Ghana’s history.

The Akufo-Addo government launched the pro-poor education programme seven years ago, fulfilling a campaign promise Nana Akufo-Addo made to Ghanaians in the run-up to the 2012 and 2016 elections.

The policy launched across the country with about 400,000 students. An estimated 2.2 million young people have been beneficiaries of the programme so far.

Speaking in an interview on Thursday (29 June), Attafuah proposed that an endowment fund be established to make the laudable programme more sustainable.

“Free SHS resonates with my soul, it’s not a political statement,” the NIA boss said.

“It’s a necessary precondition for the development of this country,” Attafuah said in an interview with Nana Yaa Mensah. “I think it is one of the boldest and clearest decisions that any government has taken on behalf of the state.”

Attafuah added: “I think that the clarity of thought with which President Akufo-Addo has approached it is redeeming for Ghana.

“There are ongoing considerations of how it can be refined. That is proper.”