Suspend proposed Free SHS Bill and involve stakeholders – NAGRAT to Government

The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has expressed deep concern over the lack of consultation on the Free Secondary Schools Bill currently being debated among Members of Parliament.

Neither they nor other teachers’ unions were involved in the proposal, the association says.

They describe the proposal by the Minister of Education Dr. Yaw Osei-Adutwum to separate the Junior High School (JHS) from the Primary School and to abolish the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) as a prerequisite for admission to the Senior High School as regrettable.

In a statement dated July 3, 2024, the association said: “We hereby express our disappointment that the impending Free Senior High Schools (SHS) Bill has not been subject to comprehensive consultation and input from stakeholders, particularly teachers’ unions whose members play a key role in the implementation of the Free Senior High Schools programme.”

The association is therefore calling on the government to postpone the submission of the Free SHS Bill to Parliament to allow for comprehensive consultation.

They also called on Parliament’s Special Committee on Education to reject the bill because it did not include any participation by those interested in education.

“We hereby request that, in the interest of mutual respect and acceptance of all laws affecting education, the Government suspend the presentation of the said Bill in Parliament to allow for full consultation.

“We call on Parliament, and in particular the Select Committee on Education, to make it clear that the so-called bill does not have the input of education stakeholders, particularly teachers’ unions, and should therefore be rejected,” the statement said, among other things.

background

The majority in Parliament has announced that it is prepared to introduce a bill on free upper secondary education.

The legislation makes the free SHS policy mandatory for all subsequent governments.

Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin made the announcement at a press conference ahead of the resumption of Parliament sittings after recess on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.

Read: Parliament will introduce a bill on free SHS to make it binding on subsequent governments

He pointed out that a final draft bill was ready for presentation by the Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum.

According to him, this step is intended to prevent any government from trying to cancel this policy.

The Majority Leader insisted: “If we consider it (the Free SHS Bill) as the House of Representatives, it means that it becomes mandatory for governments to implement it.”

“Until the law is repealed, no government has the right to say, ‘I will not enforce free SHS because it is now the law.’ So if it fails, a citizen can approach the court in good faith and the court can get justice in favour of the citizen,” he said.

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