The Conference of Heads of Private Second-Cycle Schools (CHOPSS) has welcomed the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Manifesto as it includes private institutions in the Free Senior High School (SHS) Policy implementation.

The Conference said: "We are particularly glad that this was captured as part of the Manifesto promises of the NDC".

This was in a statement jointly signed by Mr Naphtali Kyei-Baffour, the Public Relations Officer of CHOPSS and Joseph K. Dzamesi, the General Secretary, copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.

It said the initiative was the only way the problem of access to secondary education, which gave
rise to the double-track system, could be solved.

"We believe that a public-private partnership of this nature is a win-win for the Government, Ghanaian children, and Ghanaian educational entrepreneurs. This policy will protect many of the 335 private senior high schools in Ghana and protect over 10,000 jobs in the private secondary educational sector,” the statement said.

The Manifesto would give more options to Ghanaian children as they could choose to attend a private school near them or a public school and as well reduce the pressure on government in its attempt to build additional infrastructure for public schools.

It said just as government partnered the private health institutions to ensure easily accessible healthcare delivery, it could do same with the private schools to allow students there to enjoy the Free SHS grant.

“We have private schools that have better facilities than public schools and have over the years outperformed public schools,” the statement said.

“We also reject the attempt to suggest that it is unconstitutional for government to partner with private schools to provide educational access to Ghanaian children".

It said there were common grounds that were absolutely constitutional, which could be reached to allow for partnerships with private senior high schools.

It called on the New Patriotic Party-led Administration and all other political parties to commit to working with CHOPSS to ensure that private schools received government partnered to provide access and quality education to all Ghanaian children.