Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin has condemned attempts by some matrons and teachers to sabotage the Free Senior High School (SHS) Policy.

The Free SHS policy, launched in 2017, aims to provide free access to secondary education in public schools for all Ghanaian students.

With a total investment of GH¢12.88 billion so far, the policy has benefited over 2.5 million students.

Despite its successes, the policy faces challenges such as inadequate infrastructure leading to overcrowding, and intermittent reports of food shortages.

During a grand durbar to climax the Ohum-Kan festival at Kyebi on Saturday, the Overlord of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, expressed concerns about individuals undermining the policy.

“We all know how our President [Akufo-Addo] was determined to let every child attend school, ensuring that money does not become a barrier preventing any child from accessing secondary education. Hence, the introduction of the Free SHS policy, which is one of the greatest policies in the world,” he stated.

He added, “But having made education free for our children, giving them free food even PTA free. Why should the teacher or the matron steal the food meant for the children and then bring cameramen to lament to the whole world that the students are not being fed well? Some even go to the extent of stealing the foodstuffs belonging to physically challenged students. This means their interest is to sabotage and undermine the policy.”

Okyenhene described the phenomenon as worrying. “This is something I am worried about because it happened right in a school at Kyebi, where foodstuffs and provisions belonging to the hearing-impaired students were stolen. I want to let you know that if you are a teacher or anyone in charge of supplying food for our children and you decide to steal the food, it means you are not only undermining the policy but also retarding the development of the country.”

Okyenhene stressed the need to complement knowledge acquisition in school with “common sense”.

He said failure to apply common sense in decision-making and daily activities will continue to retard the growth of the country.

“Education is very important. A lot of people have succeeded because of education, but there is a school that we learn from in our traditional homes. So, anyone without that type of education, aside from university education, does not have a complete education. One can attend school to acquire a PhD to become a doctor or engineer but may lack this type of education we get from our traditional homes, which we call ‘common sense.’ Common sense will teach you how to keep the environment clean without dumping refuse anyhow. Common sense will teach you how to protect River Birem without doing anything that will destroy the river.”

“This degree called common sense is what many people don’t have, and it is not acquired from the classroom. It is something we learn from homes to develop and improve the lives of the people,” he added.

Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin urged politicians to lead the country within the remit of the constitution when elected into office.

“We must be patriotic to our nation and where we come from. Elsewhere, they love their country, so they live within the means of their constitution. That’s what we should inculcate here and charge those we have elected to manage the affairs of the country to do.”

He criticized elected officials who neglected their constituents after being voted into office.

“But when we vote to elect you, and after electing you, you decide to neglect your people. They give all kinds of promises that they will make life better for the people when seeking power. Meanwhile, after we do them the honour of electing them, then they begin to turn their back on us. They won’t even pick up your calls because now they are in Accra.”

Okyenhene Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin also advocated for a law to freeze the salaries of parents who have deserted their wards and shirked their parenting responsibilities.

“The frozen salary should be used by the state to take care of their wards’ education and upkeep,” he suggested.

According to Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, such measures would awaken the spirit of responsible parenting and reduce the menace of streetism, the growing number of vagabonds, and ensure the safety of these innocent people.

He admonished the youth to avoid drug abuse and live respectable lives.

He reiterated the call to stop illegal mining by arresting perpetrators to save the environment from the scourge of degradation.

This year’s Ohum festival coincides with Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin’s 25th-anniversary celebration of his accession to the Ofori Panin Stool.

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