John Dramani Mahama, Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has defended his proposal to dismantle the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) Secretariat, citing concerns over corruption and mismanagement.
In an interview with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) on Friday, November 29, 2024, Mahama shared his vision for restructuring the administration of the policy to improve efficiency and accountability.
If he is elected President, Mahama revealed that he intends to transfer the management of the Free SHS programme to the Ghana Education Service (GES). He argued that this shift would place the policy within a more structured and established institutional framework, facilitating better oversight and ensuring that resources are properly managed.
“We all need to sit and look at what the lapses are and see how we can cure those lapses going forward. We want to cut waste, this government is very good at duplicating and creating new offices and things just to create jobs for the boys.
“The GES has the mandate and authority to supervise the educational sector so I don’t see why you would have a stand-alone free SHS Secretariat. And I hear the rot and corruption that are going on there.
“I think it’s time to bring it back to GES and let GES superintend over it. Senior High School coordinators would still be senior high coordinators but they would be supervised by GES.”
