Mahama presents GH¢12.2m for 'progressively' free SHS

President John Dramani Mahama has launched the “Progressively Free SHS Education” Project and has also commissioned the first school – Prof Evans Atta Mills SHS at Otuam in the Ekumfi District of the Central Region.

The president hinted that 122 out of the 200 schools promised in his 2012 manifesto are also near completion.

The project meant for especially underserved communities is to reduce the cost of secondary education on parents in the rural areas.

According to him, it has become necessary to expand senior high education due to the increment in the enrolment at the basic level.

In 2001, eight hundred and sixty thousand pupils successfully completed JHS but recently 1.6 million pupils did.

GH¢12.2 million was presented to the Ministry of Education to facilitate the project.

Three hundred and twenty thousand four hundred SHS day students are to benefit from the project at its initial stage as charges levied on them will be covered beginning this academic year.

He also stated that 9,300 teachers have been posted into the system to enhance the project.

The three-storey H.E John Evans Mills SHS block constitutes 24 classrooms, 4 science laboratories, 2 libraries, 1 IT Center, 8 departmental heads' offices and an office for staff members.