The Implementers Of The Free SHS Educational Policy Are Confused—Dr Spio-Garbrah Jabs President Akufo Addo
Describing the current NPP government under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a total failure, Dr Spio-Garbrah who doubles as the former Minister of Education called on eligible voters to vote out the NPP government out power in the 2024 polls because the party has messed up education system in the country.
Freeman Koryekpor 
FORMER Minister for Trade and Industry from 2014 to 2017 in the President John Damani Mahama led National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, has punched holes into implementation of the free Senior High School (SHS) educational policy.
Describing the current NPP government under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a total failure, Dr Spio-Garbrah who doubles as the former Minister of Education called on eligible voters to vote out the NPP government out power in the 2024 polls because the party has messed up education system in the country.
According to Dr Spio-Garbrah, looking at the numerous challenges facing the free SHS educational policy, it is clearly shows that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Mininster of Education who are implementers of free SHS programme are completely confused.
He make a strong case that the parents and students are being frustrated following the implementation of the free Senior High School policy that has been implemented by the current NPP government.
He expressed his sympathies to parents who are still suffering under the SHS educational policy, indicating that what is being implemented varies from what was promised Ghanaians by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his NDC government prior to the 2016 and 2020 general elections
He cited instances where persons were placed in wrong schools and challenges of feeding the students under the free SHS educational policy, indicating that these among a few other reports were clear examples of the raging confusion that has rocked the free SHS policy he described as propaganda.
Dr Spio-Garbrah made these foregoing remarks when he was speaking at a programme held for NDC Branch communicators at Ayawaso Central Constituency.
Current Greater Accra Regional Communications Officer and his Deputy Honourable Jerry Johnson and Honourable Simon Kweku Tetteh, Former National Organizer, Honourable Joshua Akamba, and other dignitaries were among the speakers who graced the occasion.
The programme, which took place at the Anglican Church B, Kotobabi -Accra Newtown, on Saturday 9th March 2024, was aimed at building the capacity of the grassroot communicators of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to be effective communicators in the constituency.
There are general disarray and widespread frustration of parents and students that have characterized this years Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS). We empathize with parents, candidates, and other victims of the chaos.
There have been reports of multiple IT system breakdowns; placement deadlines on wheels (postponed at least three times); candidates who are yet to be placed even as the 2017/2018 academic year commences today; male students placed in female schools and vice versa a situation which never occurred throughout the eight-year period that the NDC was in power.
There have also been numerous instances of students being placed in special schools, including the now famous case of Belinda Akuramaa, who was placed at the Mampong Akuapem School for the Deaf even though she is not deaf.
In addition to this chaos, there are thousands of children whose fate hang in the balance as to whether they qualify to be placed, considering the inability of the NPP Government to spell out clearly to Ghanaians what the cut-off point is so far, this appears to be a well-kept secret by this Government of President Akufo-Addo.
Hundreds of frustrated parents from all over the country had to besiege the Ministry of Education and the Placement Secretariat to vent their anger.
Meanwhile, as Ghanaians are made to believe the NPPs propaganda that every cost associated with entering Senior High School this year has been borne by Government, parents and guardians continue to spend copious amounts of money on scratch cards whose value is inflated, as well as internet fees in a seemingly fruitless mission.
The CSSPS is in its eleventh year of implementation. Last year, the NDC government marked its 10th anniversary by organizing a thorough stakeholders review forum, which ended with important recommendations.
However, NDC outspoken politician threw more light on how confused this ruling NPP government under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has been implementing the "So-called" free Senior High School educational policy.
According to Dr Spio-Garbrah, the NDC was disappointed that the NPP appears to have failed to consider and implement these recommendations.
"Had they done so, the current mess could have easily been avoided. The penchant by this NPP administration to replace experienced and public servants with their family and friends, some with doubtful credentials and expertise, has further exacerbated the situation," he said.
At this juncture, Dr Spio-Garbrah reiterated NDC sympathy with the thousands of distressed Ghanaian parents, guardians, and students who have been made to bear the brunt of the NPPs incompetence.
Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, who was the main guest speaker for the event, took time to elaborate on the shambolic free Senior High School educational system.
As a former Education Minister, who invented and implemented the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), he asked parents present at the event if they can tell when their wards will be coming home for Easter break.
"Because the people involved in the implementation of the free SHS programme themselves don't know the time-table, as to when various categories of students will go on break. Whatever time-tables the government publishes gets easily and inexplicably changed in midstream, he said.
"How many of you know when your children are going to come for Easter break or long vacation or any other breaks? Headmaster and head mistresses I talk to don’t know either,” he rhetorically asked.
“Are you able to tell the school calendar or the school year,” he queried the parents?
Dr. Spio-Garbrah further said: "There's complete confusion regarding the secondary school programme, and parents have no idea what is happening to their children.
"More importantly what we used to call the "Parents Teacher Association (PTA)," which brings the parents together with the teachers, so that, together they can take decisions in the interest of their children, the current NPP government has abolished that, mainly to silence the teachers.
"So now NPP government officials are currently promoting only what they are calling “Parents Association (PA)”, where only parents are supposed to meet without teachers.
"That is rubbish, as a school is a community of various interest groups who must often discuss issues and reach a consensus, so that School leadership, including, Teachers, Administrators, Alumni, Parents and the Government can take sensible decisions on behalf of students, whose interests should be the primary focus of any school,”, Dr. Spio-Garbrah explained.
Dr. Spio-Garbrah went on to give some reasons why the NPP government has abolished the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) "The NPP is afraid that, the teachers will feed the parents with all the wrong things that are going on in the school, especially what is wrong with the “so-called Free SHS educational programme.”
He indicated that the current NPP government don't want the parents and teachers to meet to discuss common issues affecting their wards and for teachers to tell parents that the free SHS has collapsed", except in name only.
“But the NPP forgets that when the Ghana Education Service (GES) and Headmasters and Head mistresses require parents to fork out GH¢ 4,000-6,000 to compulsorily buy some up to 20 items they never had to buy under the previous non-Free SHS system, that is simply the government asking parents to pay bills that the government was responsible for in the past. So, as usual, whatever NPP tells Ghanaians will be free, is eventually discovered not to be free at all.
The NPP government officials are just taking the parent’s cash with one hand and claiming to give them something “free” with the other. As a famous Pastor once said, “if someone tells you that anything is free don’t believe them. Nothing is Free”, Spio-Garbrah dared the NPP government.
