Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has championed the Free Senior High School (SHS) initiative as a cornerstone of the country’s development strategy.
Speaking to the clergy in the Greater Accra Region at the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) Hall on Tuesday, June 4, Dr. Bawumia emphasized that the government’s introduction of the Free SHS initiative aims not only to enhance the literacy rate among the nation’s youth but also to prepare them for the impending digital age.
Dr. Bawumia highlighted that the Free SHS initiative, launched by the Akufo-Addo government , is integral to an ecosystem designed to position Ghana advantageously in the future. He recounted a conversation with the President in 2016 about the initiative. “When we came into power in 2016, the President called me to ask if we can make Free SHS possible and I told him that if it’s his desire, then we can make it happen.”
Commending the program’s success, he noted, “At the advent of the Free SHS program, the government enrolled 800,000 young individuals. With seven years down the line, enrollment has skyrocketed to 1.4 million; which is statistically 75% more.”
Dr. Bawumia also introduced the concept of the gross tertiary enrollment ratio, suggesting that a nation’s level of development is closely linked to the number of individuals enrolled in tertiary institutions. “The world is going into the digital age, and what matters are the systems that are in place. We need to now rely on systems to solve problems,” he stated.
He argued that while these systems are often tailored to the economic frameworks of developed countries, they can be adapted to foster development and innovation in Ghana. “Look at South Korea, for example. They use the gross tertiary enrollment ratio, which indicates that the more people go into tertiary education, the more the country develops.”
The meeting with the clergy is part of Dr. Bawumia’s Greater Accra regional tour. The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has been traveling across Ghana to articulate his vision and objectives.