Minority In Parliament Punches Holes Into Government’s Free SHS Program Again
The Minority caucus in Parliament has once again enumerated some challenges the Free Senior High Program is riddled with and warned of a looming crisis for the policy if the issues are not addressed.
In their statement, they attributed some of the challenges faced by the policy to a lack of decentralization. Pointing out that lack of decentralization has stripped schools of their flexibility, the Minority argued.
“Before the introduction of the programme in 2017, school authorities were given free hands in the management of funds in their schools,” it noted.
Additionally, it said “the centralization of the disbursement of funds and procurement have also led to a large scale of corruption that continues to compromise the quality and quantity of items supplied.”
They advised that “management of the Free SHS policy, disbursement and procurement must be decentralized with stringent monitoring mechanisms to reduce the high rate of corruption in the system.”
In other concerns, the Minority said Parent Teacher Associations must be revamped and “given the powers that used to be to enable them make positive inputs into the running of our schools.”
One of the major points of criticism of the Free SHS policy has been the inadequate infrastructure. They wants this addressed to avert the looming crisis it fears.
“The crowded dormitories and classrooms have to be decongested to avoid the spread of infectious diseases in our schools and this must involve a committed effort on the part of government to address the infrastructure challenges,” they added.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
