A future Ayariga government will make senior high school education free and also fully restore allowances of teacher trainees, flag bearer of the All People’s Party (APC), Mr Hassan Ayariga has said at the party’s 2016 manifesto launch at the Aviation Social Centre in Accra on Thursday, 6 October.

The APC will also “redefine” basic education to include Senior High School (SHS) and “make it available for free on a universal basis to all Ghanaian youth by 2019,” he said.

According to him, the Senior High School system will be restructured as a point of into the world of work and also as a preparatory stage for entry into tertiary institutions for technical, vocational, or agricultural training.

“Vocational and Skill training will be further developed under the APC by the building of two state-of-the-art institutions and the upgrading and revamping of existing technical and vocational institutions to ensure that our workforce have world-class employable skills,” he noted.

He said a future APC government will pay “serious attention” to teachers’ professional development and also restore teachers’ allowances, ensure prompt payment of salaries and promote teachers without undue delay. “We will also focus on the provision of incentives that will not only motivate teachers, but reward their hard work in the classroom.”

Below are the other policies the APC has planned for the education sector:

? We will collaborate with GNAT and NAGRAT and other teaching associations to facilitate an affordable housing scheme for teachers.

? We will ensure that teachers who upgrade their qualifications are promoted promptly and that their salary increases take immediate effect.

? The APC will ensure proper decentralisation of teachers’ recruitment and other document processing and relieve them of the frustrating and bureaucratic processes they have to endure in getting their documents at the centre.

PRIMARY EDUCATION

We will reintroduce the History of Ghana as a subject for primary schools.

To ensure that standards are improved and maintained across pre-tertiary education, the APC government will strengthen and equip the Inspectorate Division in order for it to carry out its mandate of inspecting and regulating the provision of good quality education while providing good value for money in education.

SCIENCE AND MATHS EDUCATION

We will aggressively promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education across all levels of the education system.

An APC government will leverage technology to popularise the teaching and learning of Mathematics. Children in every part of the country will have access to mathematics lessons delivered at the highest level. We aim to demystify mathematics and turn Ghana into a mathematics-friendly nation.

MISSION SCHOOLS

We will strengthen the participation of the Missions in the Mission-founded schools. We believe this will ensure the return of discipline and moral upbringing to our schools.

ARABIC EDUCATION

We will support Arabic/Islamic instructors with training and other incentives to motivate them to provide good training for our children.

We will introduce Arabic as an optional language to be taught and examined at the JHS and SHS levels.

COUNSELING AND GUIDANCE

There will be an intense focus on providing effective and professional guidance and counselling services to pupils, students and young people to facilitate their personal growth and development.