Review Free SHS-Palmer Buckle Warns In growing Criticisms of the Policy’s Failur

The Catholic Arch-Bishop for Cape Coast, Most Rev. Charles Palmer-Buckle, has added his voice to calls for the Free Senior High School (SHS) program to be reviewed.

Speaking as the Guest of Honor at a book launch in Accra, Most Rev. Palmer-Buckle said he was all for the program but that the time has come to take a look at the program which has been fraught with challenges from day one.

“I support 100% the free SHS policy. [But] It is now time to have a stakeholder engagement to review the free SHS,” he said.

He added that the program has made parents shirk their responsibilities to the government. “They have divulged that to government and are blaming the government,” he said.

Recently, the Ashanti King, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II warned against the failures of the Free SHS policy.

The Free SHS has become a huge challenge for the country after the Akufo-Addo government, came into power, set aside a progressively free version started by the the-Mahama government and started a rush implementation of his version without even piloting it.

The populist implementation has since led to major issues with the program, including students having to run a shift system that gave them less than 30% of the contact hours with teachers that students used to have.

Rev. Palmer-Buckle’s call follows earlier calls made by many stakeholders for the program to be reviewed, including the National Democratic Congress (NDC).