GNAT advocates for a nationwide dialogue on Free SHS.

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has called for a national dialogue to examine the Free Senior High School (SHS) Programme.

In order to sustain the Programme, the Association stated that the evaluation should include parent-teacher associations (PTAs), business entities, and other stakeholders.

In an interview with TV3’s Daniel Opoku on Monday, August 14, General Secretary of GNAT Thomas Musah Tanko stated that such a debate will look into ways to fund the policy.

“What we are saying is, let us have that particular discussion, and let us know how we fund it,” he explained.

“We could fund it through donations from old boys, PTA, returns on investments, a special levy, or whatever else we can think of.”

“So, that particular dialogue will tell us how we intend to finance the Free SHS, which will benefit everyone so that we can improve the quality of teaching and learning.”

According to him, the current situation of the Programme is having a negative impact on basic education, especially kindergarten.

According to Mr Musah Tanko, KG, primary, and junior high school (JHS) appear to be suffocating as a result of the focus on Free SHS.

“We will also ensure that the JHS, primary, and kindergarten are not sacrificed on the altar of the Free SHS, or else we will have a long way to go in our development.”

In September of 2017, free SHS was implemented.

Enrollment in SHS increased as a result of the policy.

However, due to poor facilities in most schools, a shift system known as double track was used.

Most schools are currently experiencing food shortages, and where food is available, the quality has been subpar.