The Chairman of the Public Interest and Accountability Committee PIAC, Dr Steve Manteaw has added his voice to calls for the free SHS policy to be targetted at vulnerable groups in the society.
The Free SHS (Free Senior High School) policy is a Government of Ghana initiative introduced by the President Akuffo-Addo administration in September 2017. The policy had been a major campaign policy prior to the election of President Akuffo-Addo in 2016.
The Free SHS programme is aimed to widen the gates of opportunities to every child, especially those whose talents are arrested because of poverty.
Under the Policy, all cost barriers to education has been absorbed by the government. It would improve the quality of education, address equity issues associated with education in the country and, importantly, ensure that every child acquires employable skills by the time they leave school.
There have been calls by civil society groups to the government to review the current scope of the Free SHS to allow for well-endowed parents to foot the bills of their ward to allow monies used in sponsoring them to channelled to other sectors of the economy.
Speaking to Radio Ghana at the annual review meeting of PIAC at the Eastern Region, he said the wholesale implementation of the free SHS is a drain on petroleum resources.
''For me the suggestion I make in terms of how we maximize benefits form the oil revenue and also ensure the efficient use of the resources is to limit the free SHS to only those who are vulnerable in our society. I think this position is shared by many people in the country including the Finance Minister who on one occasion expressed views to the extent that the rich in the society ought to be excluded in the free SHS''.
''I agree, but the response has always been that it is difficult to identify the vulnerable in the society. and that with the COCOBOD scholarship there were many rich people whose children were benefiting in that scholarship even though they weren't farmers''.
Mr Manteaw also criticized political interference in the work of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation, GNPC saying they must be given the free hand to operate. He added that its regrettable that since the oil fund Ghana has no significant project to show for the use of its revenue.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has hinted that beneficiaries of the Free Senior High Education programme will pay more in taxes in the future.
The Commissioner-General of GRA, Emmanuel Kofi Nti, said the programme is an investment to build skilled labour pool which will translate to increase in payment of more taxes to the state in future.
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