A senior lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Martin Oteng Ababio, has called for a review of the Free Senior High School policy, arguing that the policy is more of a quantity focus than quality education.
During a campaign outreach by lecturers to highlight the National Democratic Congress (NDC) 2024 manifesto, Prof. Ababio backed the NDC’s proposal to review the Free SHS policy.
He said “The free SHS has helped. But it has spelled the doom of the whole educational system. The number of students that are getting into the university has increased tremendously. Lectures have not increased. The lecture halls have not increased. The residential halls have not increased”.
He explained that the situation at the university level now hinders the quality delivery of lectures.
“So we are compromising, and I am a lecturer, we are compromising quality for quantity. In a sense today, if you come to Legon, you enter a lecture hall to find 600, 800 students in one room”.
He lamented the poor implementation of the policy without a properly laid down plan to ensure cohesion at the tertiary level. Ababio is of the view that the government should employ more lecturers to enhance quality delivery.
He remarked “That makes it very difficult to reach out to everyone. How many essays can you mark a day? And how many essays can you give to a student?”
He concluded by commending John Dramani Mahama for proposing to review the policy to meet quality delivery of education at the tertiary level.