Government will applaud parents who voluntarily donate to schools but SHS is free – Education Minister debunks rumours

The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has reiterated that government’s Free Senior High School Policy meant to give education access to all groups of citizens remains absolutely free.

The Minister’s comment comes at the back of reactions to his recent interview with Starr News in which he stated that parents who want to pay fees for their ward’s education are free to do so.

His statement has been misinterpreted by some people to mean government was asking parents to pay fees despite the FSHS policy. But in a subsequent interview with United Television monitored by GhanaWeb, Mr Adutwum debunked the assertions stating that his statement was just an appeal to old students and parents to embrace the spirit of voluntarism with regards to projects undertaken by the respective schools.

He applauded the benevolence of Ghanaians and appealed to stakeholders to contribute to the development of schools in support of governments efforts.

“Free SHS is a good policy and we are already reaping the benefits. The President made it clear that everyone irrespective of the wealth of your parent should enjoy free education. There is no discrimination because both the rich and poor are enjoying.”

“One thing I like about some Ghanaians is their benevolence. We hear stories of students doing various projects for their schools which is commendable. The fact that Free SHS has come does not mean you can’t help the school your child attends. There is no such policy that require rich parents to pay school fees. It is free and I want to repeat it again SHS is free. But if you have the means and you want to help a school, government will welcome that and applaud you. I want to state once again that SHS is free,” Mr Adutwum stressed.