100 Senior High Schools (SHS) to be built by gov’t this year – Deputy Education Min.

“I am happy to state that this year, we are confident that at least 100 high schools will be rolled out because the first 50 is going through the contractual processes. The other 50 which will come in the form of an MOU with a consortium is also in a very advanced stage and very soon the Minister of Finance will be giving us the go ahead for that particular vehicle. So at least 100 will be rolled out within this quarter,” the deputy minister emphasized.

Recounting a number of successes that government had chalked so far, he stated that at the kindergarten level, “there were 11,827 schools by 2008 but by 2011, the figure had shot up to 13,305 due to additional kindergarten schools that government set up.”

The deputy minister further stated that Ghanaians were discerning enough to choose quality education over free education in 2008, adding that their kindness will not be taken for granted.

“For the people of this country to choose quality, to choose access, to choose equity and affordability over free SHS which we were bombarded with morning, afternoon, evening, night, dawn is a very clear message to us and for we at the Ministry of education, we are not under any elusion to take the kindness and the clarity with which the electorate voted for granted. We will make sure that the people of Ghana will not regret”.

Making reference to a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report, Mr. Ablakwa noted that by 2006 there were 513,000 children of school going age on the streets out of school. According to him “the figure by 2012 had been cut by almost half; by 46 %.”

He further stated that a number of schools under trees according to the 2014 budget had been eliminated adding that the President is committed to eliminating the rest by 2016.