Afenyo Markin reveals government’s readiness to present free SHS bill to parliament

The Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has revealed that government is ready to submit a bill in few days to regulate the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy and ensure its sustainability.

This comes at the back of some Ghanaians raising concerns about a possible review of the policy by future governments.

Education sector stakeholders, such as National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate John Mahama, have emphasised the importance of involving all relevant parties in order to address policy difficulties and highlight the benefits of the free SHS programme.

He believed that improving the policy was essential to the growth and advancement of the education industry, not just a topic of discussion.

EduWatch has proposed that parents who choose to board their children should be responsible for paying the related costs.

In a Tuesday, June 11 media briefing, Mr. Afenyo-Markin clarified that the purpose of the bill is to improve the policy’s effectiveness and sustainability while harmonising with the goals delineated in constitutional Chapter 5.

He said that while these provisions are not enforceable by law, the government aims to make them justifiable through legislation.

“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, by a policy of the government, an aspiration as a message by the constitution is put into action, then to make it justiciable, you enact.”

Stated differently, there exist clauses in the constitution that you are not allowed to enforce or that you are not entitled to. Your ability to petition the court to have those rights enforced does not stem from their existence. At this point, he clarified, “there is a need to enact a law to regulate the same when a government lifts it up to give it life.”

President Akufo-Addo unveiled the free SHS policy in September 2017.

The goal is to eliminate financial obstacles by absorbing fees that have been authorised by the Ghana Education Service Council.