Speaking on TV3 Sunrise on Wednesday, President Mahama indicated that if he had extra investments, he would push it to improving the quality of education in the nation.
To him, it is significant for education to be progressively free but with the necessary facilities set up to boost education in Ghana.
He narrated: “I do think that our constitution provides for it [free education] and if we go by the constitutional provisions we should be fine. It says that as resources become available, secondary and tertiary education should be made generally available and progressively free and so what it means is we must work towards it.”
He recounted the challenges that have since characterized the country’s educational system and therefore stressed the need to project quality education before attempts to roll out any free education policy.
President John Mahama explained that “We have schools of six classes that have two teachers. One teacher teaches class one, he jumps to class three and teaches, jumps to six and teaches. We need to train more teachers."
He added that there should be provision of more facilities including classrooms, dormitories and science laboratories.
“If I had extra money, I will invest it in improving quality. Somebody believes that if he has extra money he will invest it in making it free, he has his views I have my views. I think that we must improve quality and we must make it progressively free.” he noted.
The educational system in the country has been a topical issue of this year’s elections. Opposition New Patriotic Party has been trumpeting its free S.H.S policy which promises students entering second-cycled schools of substantially free access to secondary education.
But the ruling National Democratic Congress believes there is the need for more infrastructure to be established in various schools across the country before the implementation of a free education policy.
The NDC asserted that free education now may compromise the quality of education in the country and therefore outlined that several facilities should be put in place to usher in the free education policy.
President John Mahama, who is also 2012 Presidential candidate of the NDC, in his view said though he believes education should be progressively free; the quality of it should be country’s top priority.
“If I had extra money, I will invest it in improving quality. Somebody believes that if he has extra money he will invest it in making it free, he has his views I have my views. I think that we must improve quality and we must make it progressively free.”
Source: Adu Gyamfi Ameyaw
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