A former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Prof Stephen Adei, has said once the content of the proposed bill on Free Senior High School is known, there would be the need for a stakeholder engagement on it.

On June 11, the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, announced that the bill, when passed into law, would make the implementation of the Free SHS policy binding on successive governments.

According to him, the move is to prevent any government from attempting to abort the policy.

• Read also: Parliament to introduce Free SHS bill to make it binding on successive governments

The move has already been criticized by some as unnecessary.

But speaking on JoyNews on Wednesday, June 12, Prof Adei stated that currently, the content of the bill is not known to many. He thus advised that if the Majority in parliament is ready to introduce the bill in the House, they should do so transparently rather than using a clandestine approach.

“If they are coming out, let them come out so that we will all have an opportunity, but this advanced possible rejection and saying that it will solve all problems, then we must all be dead because you are saying that we shouldn’t do anything about health until we have solved all problems in health. That is a loose argument,” he said.

• Read also: Free SHS bill targeted at NDC, other critics of the policy – UCC professor

“I believe that whatever the law is when it comes out it will give some of us an opportunity to know what the government is thinking about, what they are pushing forward and we will either ask them to be treated, opposed or reject it," he added.

Also, a professor of Educational Leadership at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), George Kweku Toku Oduro, argues the government's decision to push through a Free Senior High School bill to parliament is simply a strategy to counter calls for a review by civil society groups and other stakeholders.

He claims that the incumbent administration is not being honest with Ghanaians, adding that the proposed bill has no legitimate basis.

Education think-tank Africa Education Watch has also questioned the rationale behind the move. Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare said the policy already has legal backing and does not require another law. He expects the government to rather focus on improving the policy by addressing the various challenges plaguing it.

“I am a bit lost because in December 2020 Parliament passed a law called the Pre Tertiary Education Law which is Act 10(49). This law which was assented on 29th December 2020 has free SHS captured under section 3 which says that ‘Secondary education in its different forms including TVET shall be free and accessible to all eligible candidates. So this provision in the pre-tertiary education law is to give legal effect, is to give binding effect.”

“…I think that perhaps the only reason is, it is a legacy reason. It looks more political legacy kind of style. But in reality, if you ask me the top 10 challenges or problems that require urgent attention on the Free SHS policy, the law would not be in the [space] of 10,” he stated.