Northerns Do Not Enjoy Free Education – FGJ

Research Reveals

December 5, 2012

The Forum for Governance and Justice (FGJ) wishes to put on record that Ghanaian citizens hailing from the Northern, Upper West and Upper East regions of Ghana pay school fees.

Whiles the Forum appreciates the vigorous national debate on fixing the challenges we face in the important area of education, we have a responsibility to set the records straight based on facts and to expose the dangerous attempt to pitch citizens hailing from southern Ghana against their brothers and sisters from the north in an effort to win political power.

The untruth that “northerns” enjoy free education and the suggestion that Ghanaians of northern extraction are selfish for debating and questioning the merits of a proposed educational policy is not only divisive, but also dangerous for our national unity and cohesion.

Our research shows clearly that students, including Senior High School students from northern Ghana, pay all school fees except the subsidy on feeding for students in boarding institutions. There are even cases where they pay more; see table below.

School Name Part of Nation Fee
Wa Senior High Technical School Northern Ghana Ghc 464.50
Apam Senior High School Southern Ghana Ghc 271.13
Kaleo Senior High Technical School Northern Ghana Ghc 300.50
Holy Child Senior High School Southern Ghana Ghc 440.70
Nandom Senior High School Northern Ghana Ghc 389.70
Okuapemman Senior High School Southern Ghana Ghc 375.00

It is important to state that the word free is not ambiguous and cannot be used to describe instances of subsidies. If one pays the above mentioned fees as a student in a Senior High School in northern Ghana that cannot be described as free education, being certain that free education means one pays nothing for receiving education.

As citizens we have a responsibility to protect the peace, unity and stability of our nation by voting for those who espouse these values. Our constitution enjoins us to work for peace and to ensure the unity and stability of our nation at all times.

Signed
Dr. Clement A. Apaak
Convener, Forum for Governance and Justice - Ghana
020 011 7620