Education is the only means through which one could bridge the poverty and knowledge gaps in society, says Mrs. Elizabeth Ama Asare, Head Mistress of the Tema Secondary School.

She said this when the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) paid a working visit to the school as part of his tour of Senior High Schools (SHS) in Tema to observe preparations towards the commencement of the Government’s Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.

“I think it about time that the Ghanaian child saw education as the only equalizer. Without education you cannot dine with the rich; without education you cannot reason with the professors. But with education, no matter your background, you can sit at the high table when ideas are discussed,” she observed.

Mrs. Asare, who was also the Greater Accra Regional Chairperson for the Conference of Heads of Assisted Senior High Schools (CHASS), prayed they would overcome the problems that would set in during the course of the implementation.

She appealed to the MCE to assist the school to repair toilet facilities for the newly constructed girls’ dormitory which she said would help them enroll more students.

She said there were bound to be problems with the implementation of the policy but observed that “the problem has to come before the solution is found and when we do that gradually all of us as a country will laugh at the storm.”
The Head Mistress of Chemu Senior High School, Mrs. Margaret Frempong-Kore, informed that ‘free SHS is true and it has come to stay and we are starting it.”

She advised parents to take their wards to schools they had been assigned to adding “every school could be made good so they should not reject some schools because they want their wards to go to particular schools.”

The MCE, Mr. Felix Mensah Nii Annan-La was grateful for the effort they were putting in to make sure the policy succeeded, adding that “it’s a campaign promise, and we don’t want anybody to disturb it.”

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the MCE said he was encouraged by what he saw when he went round and promised to continue the visit till Friday to make sure the policy started off well.

He informed that the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) was aware of some of the challenges that may crop up in the implementation of the programme, and therefore informed of his plan to involve industries and business concerns in Tema to address those problems.

He observed that apart from what the Assembly would do on its own to deal with challenges that may arise, he would ensure that various SHS in Tema were adopted by local industries in his Tema Restoration Agenda.

In all, the MCE visited the Tema Secondary School, Chemu Senior High School, Maheam Senior High Technical, Presbyterian Senior High School and Methodist Day Senior High School.