Free SHS is a scam to students – UDS senior lecturer claims

Economist and Senior Lecturer at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Dr Michael Ayamga-Adongo has alleged that the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme will end up producing well-schooled illiterates, adding that it is a systematic destruction of our kids.

The bluntly outspoken academic accused proponents and implementers of the free SHS as having their children in expensive dollar denominated-schools while putting up a shaken free SHS system for the children of the rest.

“You can go on shouting free SHS. Those who claim god status for this systematic destruction of our kids have theirs in “EXPENSIVE DOLLAR DENOMINATED-SCHOOLS” while yours is being beckoned by the wee smokers in your neighbourhood,” he wrote in a social media post.

Dr Ayamga-Adongo then posited that in future the wards and children of these implementers of the Free SHS who would have given their children a better, superior education would have them fill up juicy, well-paying government positions whereas the ill-qualified beneficiaries of Free SHS would be deservedly sidelined.

“The problem is when your wards grow up as well-schooled illiterates, the FREE SHS gods” will be well-placed to give their Western-educated children high-paying government appointments claiming they are competent. Only that this time they will be right,” he pointed out.

For me, parents and guardians ought to dissatisfied with the programme and call for modifications to it and those who fail to fight for their children and wards many questions themselves: “Each day you rise, look at your ward wasting away and ask yourself whether you are doing right by failing to fight for their future,”

The Free SHS programme was introduced in the 2017/18 academic year leading to huge numbers at the SHS level. These unprecedented numbers forced the government to introduce a “double-track” system. But many remain unsure of how it is being implemented.