The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has given the government a one week ultimatum to exempt pensions from the debt restructuring programme else it will advise itself.
At a press conference in Accra today, General Secretary of the TUC, Dr Yaw Baah, said the debt restructuring programme in its current form will impoverish workers.
The TUC has also kicked against the government’s decision to freeze pubic sector employment.
“What is the point of Free SHS if graduates cannot secure jobs,” Dr Baah said.
FREE SHS POLICY
As stated in Article 25 1b of the 1992 Constitution, “Secondary education in its different forms including technical and vocational education, shall be made generally available and accessible to all by every appropriate means, and in particular, by the progressive introduction of free education.”
Goal 4 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) states: “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.” It has therefore been a priority of the government and the Ministry of Education to ensure that education is made free from basic to secondary to afford more children in Ghana the opportunity to access quality education. In September 2017, the Ministry achieved a major milestone with the implementation of the Free Senior High School program. That year, there was an 11% increase in enrollment, breaking records from previous years. In the 2017/18 academic year, a new record was set with the highest enrollment ever seen in the country: over 470,000 students enrolled in senior high school.
Eligibility
Every Ghanaian child who is placed into a public Second Cycle Institution by the Computerised School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) during the school placement process is eligible for a free SHS education
