Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dalex Finance, Joe Jackson has opined that the Free Senior High School policy should be reviewed such that the funds for free accommodation are channelled into improving the state of schools with limited resources.
Speaking on Big Issue on Saturday, January 4, Jackson emphasised that the issue of accommodation should be decentralised where parents who can afford are made to pay while free accommodation is rendered to the schools in the poorest communities.
According to Jackson, the elements of learning should take precedence over accommodation. He suggests that books rather be given free to students and students’ contact hours increased.
He argued that other schools should be improved to appeal to the interest of students in order to ease the pressure on the assumed ‘big schools’ in the country.
“We still have schools under trees. The monies should be spent bringing up the other schools not keeping to these old schools that have been there for hundreds of years. I went to Mfantsipim, I am proud of my school, but would it make sense for me to keep only Mfamtsipim and have people fighting to go for only the few places that are in Mfantsipim? Or for us to have a program that will make sure every district has a school that can match the results of all the other so-called ‘good schools’
“Should we still be keeping these schools as the best schools or we should spend the money improving other schools that are available in other communities? We know these schools have done well in the past. What stops us from getting other schools to do as well as these schools are doing?”
Jackson suggested some factors he referred to as the standard blueprint for making the assumed low-grade schools better; improving the conditions of teachers, making books and facilities available and improving infrastructure in those schools
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