General News of Friday, 15 September 2017

Source: ghananewsagency.org

YoHRA applauds government on free SHS

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Youth for Human Rights Africa (YoHRA), a Non-Governmental Human Rights Organization has applauded government for the bold decision at extending the frontiers of education in Ghana.

A statement issued in Accra by Mr Christopher Selorm Ankou, Director of Communications, YoHRA said the NGO has noted that the backbone of the country's development, to a large extent, depended on human capital development of which education was a critical tool in the achievement of that objective.

It said the initiative by government demonstrates a clear will in fulfilling not only its campaign promise but a commitment to undertake a constitutional obligation as well as its obligations under international Human Rights laws such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, The Banjul Charter and other treaties that Ghana was signatory to and ratified.

The statement said all governments, irrespective of their political orientation or persuasion, were enjoined to conscientiously implement policies aimed at the provision of free basic education.

“As Malcom X succinctly put it, ‘Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today’," it added.

YoHRA wishes to remind government to be mindful of the fact that a policy of this nature requires a concerted, well co-ordinated and structured framework, if the objectives of the initiative are to be achieved.

It said the government must therefore develop a mechanism at addressing the challenges inherent in implementing such a policy so as not to compromise the quality in the country's educational system.

The NGO congratulated the government on implementing such a policy at this time in the nation's history aimed at making education accessible and affordable to all, irrespective of Social, Political, Economic, Religious and Cultural status.