Special needs basic schools to be added to Free SHS – GES

Plans are underway for public special needs basic schools to be included in the government flagship policy Free Senior High School (Free SHS), the Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Prof Opoku-Amankwa has said.

Speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo show monitored by AcademicWeek, the Director-General said the central government in due course will communicate more details on the development to members of the general public.

“We have the majority of special needs schools at the basic level and what we are planning is to add them to the Free SHS policy even though they are basic schools and because they are special,” he told the host of the Kokrokoo show.

In other news, the Ghana Education Service after its Director-General, Opoku-Amankwa said the Free SHS policy review is underway has said the decision to review the flagship program will emanate from President Akufo-Addo.

GES’s comment comes after Mr Opoku-Amankwa disclosed on JoyNews Upfront show that consultations with relevant stakeholders are still ongoing for the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) program review to ensure quality.

“We can do the analysis and then come up and say that, ok, to give Raymond quality education, it will cost this much. Within that cost, these are the items in the cost.

Then we will all put it out there and say this item, we can make do of it, and it will not affect quality, this item, I think we can get parents to pay,” the Director-General of the Education Service told the host of ‘JoyNews Upfront’ show.

But in a statement dated July 22 and copied to AcademicWeek, the management of the Service stated that “the Ghana Education Service (GES) is a government agency and does not formulate or initiate a review of policies.”

“GES is not undertaking any review of the Free SHS. Any such review of the Policy is the sole prerogative of the President. GES an Agency implements government policies and programmes in pre-tertiary education,” It noted.

The Education Service accentuated that “His Excellency Akufo Addo in his recent speech at UHAS, assured all students, potential students, parents and the entire country that the Free SHS will not be affected by the IMF programme.”