Liberia, Nigeria, Gambia and other West Africa countries benefits from Free SHS-Tutor reveals

Aino Entsiful Siddiq, Economics Tutor at Potsin T. I AMASS, who doubles as a counselor revealed that other West African Countries enjoy free SHS policy.

According to him, the increasing number of enrollments in Senior High schools is a result of other West African countries like Nigeria, Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire, etc sneaking into the country, to attend Junior high school so that they can also benefit from the free SHS policy.

In an interview at Fresh FM 99.1 on 'Anopa Nantie Dwumadie ' counselor, Odiasempa said one of his students stated it emphatically that his parents told him to come to Ghana to stay with his auntie, and attend Jhs to enjoy free SHS for free.

"There was a time wha en I was teaching in class where one student told me he doesn't understand what I'm teaching so I asked him where he comes from and he said Liberia. I was even thinking Liberia camp at Bujumbura but that wasn't the case all because I was trying to explain some of the economics terms in Twi"  he added.

" Her parents told her to come to Ghana and stay with her auntie so that he'll pass through the Jhs to enjoy the free SHS policy in Ghana, he hinted. 

He further indicated that the Government spends GHc 2,312  on each student every year adding that 1.6 million students were enrolled in the free SHS policy from  2017 to 2021.

Reacting to food shortages recently in various Senior High schools, especially in Upper West, Eastern, and Greater Accra Region, the Government had spent GHc 7.7 billion alone on free SHS in which 70 percent of the money goes into feeding, and for that matter, the Government is very committed so far as food is a concern but the major problem that had led to food shortages in schools is as a result of low monitoring of buffer stock when the foods are being delivered to the schools.

Meanwhile, the allocated budget for free SHS in the year 2017 was GHC480 million, out of the 480 million, GHc336 million was only for feeding representing 70%, in 2018, GHc1.3bn was budgeted and out of this GHc910m was spent on food, 2019 own amount to GHc1.6bn, for 2020 to GHc2.4bn but due to covid 19 the government adjusted his budget in 2021.

According to statistics, the government spent GHc5.39bn on feeding from 2017 to 2021 but the problem is from the suppliers.