Akufo-Addo tells UN General Assembly about Free SHS

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Thursday told the United Nations General Assembly about the recent rollout of his government’s flagship programme – Free Senior High School policy. The policy was launched on Tuesday, September 12 at the West Africa Senior High School. President Akufo-Addo says apart from leading to an increase in enrolment this academic year, the policy has drawn Ghana to within reach of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, at least by the target date. “[The policy] has already led to increase of over 90,000 children who have entered secondary school this academic year,” he told the Assembly. “[These children] would otherwise drop out at this stage,” said President Akufo-Addo while addressing the Assembly for the first time as President of the Republic of Ghana. He hailed the United Nations for conferring on him Co-Chair of the United Nations SDGs Advocates Group of Eminent Personalities after he took over the reins of government from former Ghana president John Dramani Mahama. It was little wonder that President Akufo-Addo preened in the Free SHS policy as fulfilling one of the SDGs. “SDG 4 which aims at ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all will be within our reach by the target date,” he stated. According to him, this will not make the Ghanaian “a scar on anybody’s conscience”. He said the Ghanaian economy will rather be built “not dependent on charity and handouts” as “long and bitter experience has taught us that no matter how generous a charity, we will remain poor.” By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|editors.3news.com|Ghana Follow @kwame_amoh