General News of Wednesday, 24 January 2018
Source: citifmonline.com
2018-01-24
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Policy think tank, IMANI Ghana, has advised government to use tax revenues to fund the Free Senior High School policy instead of using proceeds from the country’s natural resources such as oil.
The Free SHS policy, which came into effect since September 2017, is to ensure that every Ghanaian student in public high school, enjoys free tuition and meals.
The source of funding for its implementation has generated debate among stakeholders but government insists there are enough resources to sustain it.
In the 2018 budget and economic statement, government revealed that it will set up a trust to receive donations from the public to support education in Ghana.
IMANI in its assessment of the first year of the Akufo-Addo government, recommended that: “The Voluntary Education Fund should be used to augment the GETFund, and in addressing the infrastructure deficit that the Free SHS policy faces.”
Research associate at IMANI, Barbara Andoh, who gave the recommendations, further noted that: “Tax revenues should be the main source of funding for Free SHS as that one is more stable and oil revenue should only be secondary.”