Government will pump GHS400 million into the financing of its Free Senior High School policy, which starts September this year, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has disclosed.
This was contained in the maiden budget of the Akufo-Addo government presented by Mr Ken Ofori-Atta on the floor of parliament on Thursday 2 March.
“Mr. Speaker, Free Public Senior High School. As part of our commitment to improve access to education at all levels, government will implement the comprehensive free public senior high school programme, starting with the 2017/2018 academic year,” he said
“Mr. Speaker adequate provision have been made for the funding of this monumental intervention programme, which is set to begin in September, 2017 from the ABFA and other domestic sources”
This policy is critical to Ghanaians since the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won the December 2016 election on the back of the heavy promises on pro-poor policies and socio-economic interventions, which included the free SHS programme.
The free SHS policy had been a major promise by the Akufo-Akufo government during run up to the December 7 2012 and 2016 general elections.
Prior to the Budget reading, Mr Akufo-Addo said, government “will fund the cost of public Senior High Schools for all those who qualify for entry from the 2017/2018 academic year onwards… so that no one in Ghana is left in any doubts.”
