Ghana’s FSHS and TVET benefit nearly 2.2 million students – Minister

Nearly 2.2 million students in the country have benefited from the government’s flagship free Senior High School (FSHS) and the free Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) programmes, the Reverend John Ntim Fordjour, a Deputy Minister of Education has said.

Since 2017, he said the government had expanded educational infrastructure, constructing more than 1,140 facilities nationwide, comprising dining halls, dormitories, ICT centers, classroom blocks and libraries, and other facilities in SHS and TVET schools.

Rev Fordjour, also the Member of Parliament for Assin South constituency in the Central Region disclosed this when he inaugurated a-100-bed capacity hostel facility furnished with 150 bunk beds and 300 mattresses for Yamfo Anglican SHS at Yamfo in the Tano North Municipality of the Ahafo region.

Dr Freda Prempeh, the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources and the MP for Tano North constructed the girls’ hostel to improve admission of girls in the school.

Rev Fordjour said despite the increased enrolment, the implementation of the FSHS and the free TVET programmes had not compromised quality and standard of education in the country, and stressed the government’s determination to strengthen the programmes to benefit more students.

He said the government had also prioritised girl-child education and was therefore doing everything possible to bridge the long existing gap between boys and girls, the rich and the poor as well as deprived and urban communities.

Rev Fordjour advised SHS students to capitalize on the huge investments made by the government, remain disciplined and learn their books to build on their educational career.

Dr Prempeh indicated quality education remained the key to unlocking the potential of the Ghanaian child, saying, “by investing in their educational infrastructure, we are also investing in the future of our nation”.

This hostel facility will not only provide accommodation for students but would also foster a sense of community and camaraderie, she stated, adding “it would also be a place where friendships are formed, knowledge is shared, and lifelong memories are created”.

Dr Prempeh expressed the optimism that with the hostel, the challenges of inadequate accommodation at the school would be addressed so the girls could focus on their studies. She commended the management, staff and teachers of the school for their hard work, pivotal role and unwavering support towards shaping the lives of the students.

The Rev Canon Barnabas Kofi Okoh, the Headmaster of the school expressed appreciation to Dr Prempeh for her unflinching support towards enhancing the school’s infrastructure development, and appealed for more support.