Government is Considering Free Tertiary Education in Ghana – President Akufo Addo
Following the successful implementation of the free senior high school (SHS) program, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that the government is exploring free higher education.
According to him, 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.
This information was disclosed by President Akufo-Addo at the Global Education Summit, co-hosted by the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta, in London.
The President also mentioned the students loan scheme as one area which had seen major improvement.
“Until recently, if you wanted to get a student’s loan in Ghana, you had to find a guarantor. We’ve removed the guarantor requirement. If you have the Ghana Card, you can now go on the basis of that and you get the loan, which is also going to mean a significant expansion of education at the tertiary level,” he said.
The President described the efforts being taken as “very crucial for our future,” adding that “if we don’t do it, we won’t be able to get to our basic aim, which is a structural change of our economy.” For us, lives and livelihoods are both critical to the future, and we will continue to do so.”
President Akufo-Addo stated that the administration is expanding access to education for all school-aged children because a well-educated workforce will aid in the realization of the country’s objective of progress and prosperity.
To become value-added economies, African countries, he said, must go beyond their current status as only manufacturers of raw materials.
President Akufo-Addo said that if Africa did not have an educated workforce, his goal would not be realized.
“It, therefore, requires an investment that we have to make to ensure that not just as many but all our children have the opportunity to go to school, right from kindergarten, through primary, secondary and through to the tertiary level,” he said.
