MoE debunks sharing ¢38m Free SHS T-shirts to students
The Ministry of Education (MoE) has described as false a report made by a local media outlet that the distribution of branded Free SHS T-shirts to beneficiaries of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy is currently ongoing.
The news report sighted by AcademicWeek said a bulk printing of Free SHS branded T-shirts set for distribution to 1,274,412 Free SHS students in various public Senior High Schools in the country is currently ongoing.
“The T-shirts are being procured by the Free SHS Secretariat at the office of the Presidency. According to the Ministry of Education, currently, there are 827,193 continuing students in the second and third-year SHSs,” the report stated.
Speaking to Starr FM journalist, the Regional Supply officer at the Regional Directorate of GES, Daniel Ayertey said the Free SHS T-shirts were brought from Free SHS Secretariat late last year to be distributed to the students free of charge.
According to him, the Eastern region received 41,215 pieces as the first consignment but since the stores are full, his outfit has decided to distribute it to the schools to share with the students as they await the other consignment.
The Public Relations Officer for Ghana Education Service at the Eastern Regional Education Directorate, Asiedu Acheampong in a discussion with Starr however, denied knowledge of the distribution of such T-shirts to any school.
“What I am aware of is branded Cardigan of the various schools but for free SHS t-shirts I am not aware so if you can send a picture of it to me and the name of the school you took the pictures from,” he told the Starr FM journalist.
But, the Deputy Public Relations Officer for the Ministry of Education, Yaw Opoku Mensah has denied the alleged ongoing distribution of the Free Senior High School branded T-shirts estimated to cost GHC38m to students.
“The attention of the Ministry of Education (MoE) has been drawn to a false news publication by starrfm.com which suggests that the “Ministry is distributing a branded Free SHS T-shirts worth GHC38m to students in Ghana.
This article isn’t just false but a gross grotesque of fact and reality and should be disregarded by the Ghanaian populace as such,” the staff of the Education Ministry stated in a social media post sighted by AcademicWeek.com.
