The founder and leader of the Ghana Union Movement, Christian Kwabena Andrews, also known as ‘Kyiri Abosom,’ has proposed a significant revision to the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
According to him, the Free SHS programme should be limited to students pursuing practical courses, while those opting for theoretical courses should be required to pay their own fees.
Speaking in an interview with JoyNews, Kyiri Abosom argued that students focused on theoretical disciplines, such as law, have not made substantial contributions to the nation, questioning the need for the government to finance their education.
He believes that the country should prioritise investing in students who are likely to contribute to the industrial sector.
“I think it’s better we give free [education] to those people who are going to do practical work, but those who want to learn theory to become a lawyer, you have to pay,” he said in the interview on Wednesday, August 14, 2024.
When asked to elaborate on his reasoning, Andrews stated, “I think it’s your own business; we’re not going to benefit anything out of that. How can we train more lawyers in this country while we don’t even have a company? Look at these people in Parliament and the way they are behaving; everybody wants to be a lawyer. They just want to suck our blood but not go into the practical field where they put up a factory.”
Kyiri Abosom also criticised former President John Mahama’s proposal to offer free fees to first-year tertiary students, arguing that what the youth truly need is skills training and not free tuition.
He cited Mahama’s own criticism of the inadequate skills of SHS graduates, which he believes contributes to their unemployment.
NAY/ADG
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