The presidential candidate of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has claimed that it has become difficult to find maids following the introduction of the free senior high school policy.
He noted that many girls who previously worked as maids are now attending school, thanks to the government’s initiative.
He stated this at a meeting with the Greater Accra Regional clergy on the first day of his regional tour.
At the meeting, Dr. Bawumia highlighted the significant shift in enrollment due to free SHS.
He said that Ghana’s enrolment numbers have doubled from 800,000 to over 1.6 million since the inception of the programme.
He stated that “for those living in Accra, many of the middle class cannot even find maids now; it’s a problem for them because the parents of the maids have come and taken them back to school.”
Furthermore, Dr. Bawumia pointed out that the free SHS policy has contributed to reducing gender disparity in schools. He cited an increase in the number of girls attending SHS, indicating a positive transformation in the education sector.
“There were a lot of people who wanted to go to senior high school but could not afford it. Today, what is very interesting about it is that more girls than boys have gone into senior high school.
“In 2016, for every 100 boys in senior high school, you will have 68 girls, so there was no gender parity, but today, after seven years of free senior high school education, for 100 boys, you will now have 106 girls, and the girls have taken over the boys. That is what is happening now. Even for those living in Accra, many of the middle class cannot even find maids now. It’s a problem for them because the parents of the maids have come and taken them back to school, and this is going to be good for Ghana.
“So if in seven years we can increase enrolment by 75%, can you imagine what will happen in 15 years? In 20 years, we are going to transform this country; more people are going to be educated, and as they move into senior high school, then the tertiary level, we have to prepare for that.
“What is also good is that the performance of the students has improved. We were worried that as we increase access, performance will decline, so when you look at the core six subjects, the pass mark in 2016 was 41%; in 2023, it has increased to 64% for the core six subjects, so we are seeing a major improvement, but there is still more to be done,” he added.
He also pointed out to the members of the Council of Indigenous Business Association of Ghana (CIBA) that his new tax reforms are carefully thought through to help the growth of businesses, especially indigenous businesses.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
