Tema, Aug. 18, GNA – The Campaign Against Privation and Commercialization of Education (CAPCOE) has called on the government to share the cost of education with parents to save the Free Senior High School policy from collapsing.
Mr Richard Kwashie Kovey, CAPCOE Convener who made the call said in order not to also compromise on the quality of education some parents capable of supporting the policy to complement the government’s effort of providing free and quality education to the citizens must be allowed to do.
Mr Kovey was speaking at the 15th edition of the Monthly Stakeholders Engagement and Workers’ appreciation day seminar organized by the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office.
The GNA Tema event also aimed at providing a platform for both state and non-state organizations to address national issues to enhance development as well as serve as a motivational mechanism to recognize the editorial contribution of reporters toward national development in general, growth and promotion of the Tema GNA as the industrial news hub.
Speaking on the “Impact of the IMF bailout on education in Ghana,” Mr. Kovey said at the basic level of education, parents, could support to cater for examination costs of their wards.
“If your child is in school for three months and you pay GHC10.00 for them to print papers to write an examination, what does it take away from you and those who will not pay, sometimes you balance so that they all write,” he added.
He expressed concern that the free education had been postured in a way that was making it difficult for other stakeholders to support the policy when there was the need.
The CAPCOE Convenor said, “not every Ghanaian is needy so if the definition of free education has been properly spelled out, if it has not been over politicized, I’m sure we would not have been struggling, the issue of food, test books, and the others will not come”.
He said the payment of fees for the academic year should be on a need basis so that those who come from poor background gets more to enable them to catch up with those of richer backgrounds.
Mr Kovey added that, there was the need to do review the free education policy to ensure the attractiveness of the plan to attain the long-term national vision.
Other speakers at the stakeholders’ engagement were: Mr Richard A. Quayson, a Deputy Commissioner, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ); Mr. Edward Kareweh, General Secretary, General Agricultural Workers Union; and Mr. Papi-Paulo Zigah, Director of International Operations, Future Careers Ghana.
Source: Ghana News Agency
