An Emeritus Professor of Chemistry and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Ivan Addae-Mensah has commended President Akufo-Addo and his government for implementing the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme.

While lauding the initiative as "one of the most innovative measures embarked in history,” he bemoaned the implementation aspect of the programme.

In his view, the implementation is unsustainable and might lead to the untimely collapse of the programme.

“Our educational reforms have always had loft intentions, the problem arises when it comes to its implementation. We don’t seem to realise that for any educational reform to be successful, you need sustainable funding and resources.

“If you just say you want to bring in an educational system that will concentrate on practical training and you set up a system that you want to promote technical education and you don’t provide facilities for people to have practical education. You haven’t done anything,” he stated.

He continued, “So now ask yourself, how many of these rural areas have these facilities that were envisaged in this Free SHS system? And it is all because of lack of resources.”

Advising the architects of the policies on JoyNews’ AM Show, Prof Addae-Mensah stated that the implementors of the programme should allow those who can afford to pay their children's fees to do so.

This, according to him, will be a form of contribution to the state, adding that it will provide “enough funds to seriously support those who cannot afford [it] - not only with school uniforms and food, but with the facilities for quality education.”