Eduwatch has called on the government to reassess its Free SHS policy, suggesting that parents who choose to have their children stay in the boarding house should bear the related costs.

In a study titled ‘Financial Burden Analysis of the Free SHS Policy and Implications on Equitable Access,’ Eduwatch proposed that free boarding secondary education should be prioritized for students from underserved communities.

The study, funded by Oxfam as part of the DANIDA Strategic Partnership II Project and commissioned by Eduwatch, argued that permitting parents to pay would enable the government to raise additional revenue to supplement the Free SHS.

In an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Citi FM on Monday, Dr Apaak concurred with the recommendation on Monday, emphasizing its importance in addressing some of the policy’s challenges.

“Yes because if one were to take a cursory look at what is going on in the educational sector in general, which is challenges in general, but were to narrow it to the implementation of the Free SHS policy, you cannot but agree with the findings of the Africa Education Watch.”

“…Truth is that while the policy is a good policy, we must admit that it is facing serious implementation challenges. And despite this amount of money, the challenges don’t seem to go away, the right thing is for us to take a second look,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr Apaak has criticized Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia for what he perceives as contradictory remarks on the sustainability of the free Senior High School (SHS) policy.

Dr Apaak accused the NPP Flagbearer of lacking transparency with Ghanaians regarding the future of the free SHS policy.

In a social media post, Dr Apaak highlighted a discrepancy between the government’s promise to review and rationalize the free SHS during discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Dr. Bawumia’s commitment to persist and enhance the policy in a national address.

Dr. Apaak called on voters to reject the NPP flagbearer and instead support the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama.