Government to Meet Private Senior High Schools Over Free SHS

Government will soon meet the Conference of Heads of Private Second Cycle Schools in Ghana (CHOPSS) to discuss the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme.

Minister for Education, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh who disclosed this on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen Tuesday, said CHOPSS has been part of the placement exercise since the Computerised School Selection Placement (CSSPS) commenced.

CHOPSS has called on government to partner private senior high schools (SHS) in the implementation of the Free SHS policy.

According to CHOPSS, government has neglected private senior high schools in the implementation of the policy even though they have partnered government over the years to give quality secondary education to Ghanaian students.

President of the Association, Mr Isaac Mensah called on government and the relevant authorities to as a matter of urgency put in place measures that would ensure their inclusion in the newly implemented Free SHS policy to save private senior high schools in the country.

”Almost every country I have travelled to in the world has private schools which are supported by government to operate,” he said.

But commenting on the matter, Dr Opoku Prempeh expressed disappointment in CHOPSS for not engaging government on the issue but rather resorted to the media to pour out their frustrations.

“We have not rejected CHOPSS in the free SHS. In fact, what worried me most is that they never engaged government but chose to talk harshly against government.

He said if government did not exempt private health facilities from the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), it would be wrong to exempt private schools from the free SHS policy when the schools meet all requirements.

He assured them of government’s readiness to engage them as a starting point to their inclusion in the Free SHS policy.