The Institute for Education Studies (IFEST), Ghana believes President Akufo-Addo’s promise of free tertiary education is feasible.
According to the institute’s Executive Director, Peter Anti, the President made the statement from a wide range of information available to him.
“I don’t think we should take it lightly that the President will make such a statement as the promise of free tertiary education on a global platform. I believe there has been a lot of consultation done before he made this particular statement,” he shared.
He notes that the Minister of Education ever since taking office has been particularly concerned about the enrolment ratio in tertiary institutions.
“I’ve been listening to him and he keeps saying we are not doing well as compared to other countries when it comes to our tertiary education. He believes we have to increase the tertiary enrolment ratio from 20 percent to between 50 and 60 percent.
And this has been one of the key things he has been hinting on whenever he speaks about education and how it can help us transform the Ghanaian economy.”
He is therefore not surprised to hear the President say the government is going to replicate the free SHS policy at the tertiary level. “This gives you the indication that there’s being some kind of consultation on the matter.”
He advised all stakeholders in the education sector to delve into the proposed idea of free tertiary education, “look at the pros and cons, and caution gov’t where necessary, and make sure we do not rush into implementing anything that will give us problems like the free SHS policy.”
The educationist cautioned the government to however address current challenges faced at the basic level before replicating it at the tertiary level.
“I don’t want us to say the free tertiary education proposal is a bad idea and must not be done. We’ve opened up SHS by making it free and removed the financial barrier and that can be done for the tertiary level too. It is a good policy if we want to increase our tertiary enrolment ratio. It is a good policy but we must be careful how we go about it,” he added.
Background
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said the government is considering free education at the tertiary level, following the successful implementation of the free senior high school (SHS) policy.
He said the free SHS policy had resulted in some 400,000 more children getting access to SHS education in the country, with the government addressing the infrastructure challenges that came with the policy.
“So in Ghana, we’ve taken the decision that we’re going full scale ahead, now that we have widened public education at the secondary school level for all and sundry, to try and replicate it at the tertiary level too,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo gave the hint at the Global Education Summit, co-hosted by the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, in London.