Lecturers for Improved Free SHS, a group of academics belonging to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has pooh-poohed what it described as “misinformation, disinformation and outright lies”, suggesting that a future NDC government would abolish the Free Senior High School policy.

The group insisted that the NDC, led by former President John Dramani Mahama, would instead improve the policy to benefit students, particularly those from poor backgrounds, to produce quality outcomes.

Professor George Kwaku Toku Oduro, Chairperson of the NDC Education Committee and Spokesperson on Education observed that the current implementation model had weakened the educational system and presented countless challenges.

Consequently, the quality of secondary school education had sunk low and needed a reset.

“May I articulate clearly that review in our context means determining what has worked well, what has not worked well and putting in measures to improve and make the FSHS implementation better and quality oriented,” he stated.

Prof Oduro, leader of the group, was responding to comments made by the University Lecturers for Free SHS, another group of academics belonging to the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), at a presser in Cape Coast.

The University Lecturers for Free SHS held a press conference on Monday, November 25 to announce that the next NDC government would cancel Free SHS and urged the electorate to vote against them.

However, Prof Oduro, a former Pro Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), described the comments as “misconceptions and misrepresentations” and reaffirmed the NDC’s commitment to improving the policy.

He underscored the importance of quality education, particularly at the secondary level, to the nation’s development and justified the proposal for a review.

“The Free SHS policy also continues to face debilitating challenges evidenced by an acute infrastructural deficit, an erratic calendar linked to a double track system, inconsistent curricula, inadequate and delayed release of food items and inadequately equipped science and ICT laboratories, insufficient Teaching and Learning Resources.”

He also mentioned rushed introduction of a standard-based curriculum without adequate textbooks, school placement lapses, entrenched culture of silence among heads of schools and teachers, and weakened PTA and governing board operations,” as some of the lapses.

Prof Oduro assured that the NDC would, within the first 120 days of assuming office, hold a stakeholders’ forum to review the educational system, including the Free SHS.

The next NDC administration would abolish the double track system as soon as possible, assuring that the first set of first year students under the NDC would go to school in a single track, he said.

In view of that, they would undertake an emergency infrastructure drive to complete abandoned E-block projects and expand infrastructure in existing SHSs and TVET institutions.

He said the procurement of food and other basic supplies would be decentralised to allow heads of schools to procure them to ensure the timely supply of food, while at the same time, creating job opportunities for local suppliers.

“We will revisit the decentralised procurement model where local artisans and food suppliers will get jobs through our review of FSHS implementation,” he stressed.

Prof Oduro noted that the roles of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and school boards would be restored to ensure effective management of the schools.

“In terms of funding, John Mahama will provide a dedicated funding source for FSHS by ring-fencing a percentage of the oil revenue for Free SHS,” he said.

“He will implement sound macro and micro economic policies by setting appropriate priorities that will not cripple the funding of Free SHS.

“For example, the NDC will not spend $58 million in digging what has gained the popular label ‘the world’s biggest human-caused hole’ for the construction of a cathedral when Senior High Schools lac functional ICT labs, libraries, and textbooks to support a standard based curriculum,” he added.