Girls Girls Leadership Initiative, a group committed to making education easily accessible to young girls in the country has commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for bringing the Free SHS policy into fruition, stating that the policy is a great investment for the nation’s future.

Citing economy and society as main areas to be affected by the new development, the organization which was founded by the Minister for gender and social protection, Otiko Afisa Djaba in a statement said Free SHS will increase the economic growth of the country.

“Free SHS is a major economic and social investment by the Nana Akufo-Addo’s government, which will not only have an impact on our current economic growth but will increase future economic output and significant positive impact on our society. This is because Fee S.H.S will increase girl-child enrollment in schools and reduce child labour in the country. The policy is a gift to Ghana at this point as it will promote our overall national human resource development and place the country on a high pedestal globally,” the statement said.

The organization stressed on controlling the growth of inequality in the country as one major blessing the Free S.H.S policy is granting the Ghanaian populace; adding that most girls on the streets especially the head porters are victims of poverty, a situation which has now been reduced by the Free SHS policy.

“Free SHS will benefit all Ghanaians to obtain to access secondary education. Due to poverty, many children of school going age especially girls, after junior high school education are unable to enroll in senior high school. Many of these girls turn into street hawkers and head potters (kayaye). The girls end up getting pregnant and becoming single parents. The result is the deafening inequality in the society. The rich become richer and the poor become poorer,” they explained.

“We believe Free S.H.S will address this inequality by providing our children especially our girls to access quality education and equipping them with skills to set up their own businesses rather than hawking on the street and engaging social vices. It will ensure that regardless of the circumstances of one’s birth, the individual has a good chance to succeed in life.,” they added.

The organization which already helps some girls on the streets, especially head porters get access to formal education or learn a trade to improve their standard of living, identifies with the Free SHS policy because it has given them the opportunity to more girls into school.

They expressed their confidence in the policy stating that it was a guarantee to the growth of women involved in all aspects of life, significantly in the socio-economic and political environment.

“We are convinced that it will increase women participation in all spheres of life especially in the socio-economic and political circles,” they noted.

The Free SHS policy is one of the government’s major projects that assures free secondary school education for all.

Girls Girls Leadership Initiative by GhanaWeb Editorial on Scribd