The Minister for Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has announced that as part of plans to successfully roll out the implementation of the Free SHS policy without any hiccup, the government has made an upfront payment of 20% of the school fees of the first year students.
This measure, he noted, was meant to silence critics of the implementation of the Free SHS policy, especially, those who doesn’t see anything good with the policy.
“To ensure that those who will not see anything good don’t come and criticize us, the President has ensured that as part of the Free SHS being fully funded, for the first time in the history of this country, even for those who are paying fees, they go to school before they pay their fees. They don’t pay their fees from home. The President has ensured that even before one child gets into school, 20% of the school fees are already there waiting for them,” he noted at the launch of the Free SHS policy at the West Africa Senior High School in Adenta on Tuesday.
On Friday, September 8, 2017, the government through the Ministry of Finance announced the release for disbursement half of the GH₵486 million earmarked for the free SHS policy.
The money was expected to have hit the accounts of the various public SHS before they re-open on Monday for classes to begin.
Over 400,000 first year students are expected to benefit from the free SHS policy this academic.
Commenting further, said not only has the President ensured part payment of the school fees of the beneficiary students, he had also ensured capitation grant that are in chronic arrears are paid up to date “even for the first term of this academic year is ready”.
“Feeding grant for the handicapped schools are going before the schools re-open. Feeding grants for students of northern extraction – that problem that we have had that has still given us Presidents is going this year before the schools re-open. Teacher-Trainee allowance has not only been restored – it is going before schools re-open,” he added.
