Education Minister Set to Present Free SHS Bill to Parliament- Afenyo-Markin

The government is gearing up to introduce the Free Senior High School (SHS) Bill to Parliament, aiming to establish regulations ensuring the sustainability of the Free SHS policy.

This move comes amidst concerns regarding potential policy cancellations by future administrations and the current challenges facing the program.

Stakeholders in the education sector, including EduWatch, have expressed their views on the policy. They proposed that parents who opt for boarding facilities for their children should bear the associated costs.

Additionally, EduWatch suggested targeting the policy towards children from impoverished households, utilizing data from the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program to identify eligible beneficiaries.

Speaking during a Leaders’ Media Briefing on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, shed light on the bill’s objectives.

He emphasized that the legislation aims to enhance the policy’s effectiveness and sustainability, aligning with the aspirations outlined in Chapter 5 of the Constitution.

“I’m also able to report that the Education Minister will present the Free SHS Bill to Parliament. Chapter 5 of the Constitution provides some aspirational indicators.

Those are not justiciable, but once a policy of the government puts an aspiration as a message by the constitution into action, then to make it justiciable, you enact,” Mr. Afenyo-Markin elaborated.

He further stated, “In other words, there are provisions in the constitution that you cannot enforce; you cannot claim the right to those provisions. The fact that they are there does not mean that you can apply to the court to enforce those rights; they are aspirational.”