The President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Yaw Acheampong Boafo, has urged the government to prioritise the provision of sanitary pads for vulnerable girls in basic schools in the country.

Delivering his address at the Ghana Bar Association Conference in Kumasi on Monday, September 9, 2024, he stated that basic education should be the primary focus of the government since it precedes senior high school education.

He argued that the focus of the government should be on basic education rather than on senior high school, where it has invested heavily in the Free Senior High School Programme.

"Mr. President, we must invest more in syto education, eliminate schools under trees, and provide sanitary pads for poor young girls who cannot afford before spending so much on secondary education. As one comes before two, so basic education comes before senior high school education," he noted.

He stressed the need for the pro-poor interventions by the government to be means–tested, using data to ensure that it only benefits the vulnerable in society.

“The Free SHS Programme must be means tested using the data compiled by the Ghana Identification Authority. So, rich parents do not suddenly transform to become peasant farmers as in the days of old when we had the coconut scholarship,” he stated.

Ghana’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) Programme, a flagship of the Akufo-Addo-led government, was launched in 2017.

It aligns with Goal 4 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which seeks to ensure that by 2030, all girls and boys complete free equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.

JKB/AE

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