Accra, Ghana – Dr. Charles Aheto-Tsegah, former Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), has called for significant reforms to the Free Senior High School (SHS) program, including a contribution from students towards their feeding costs.
In an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Channel One TV’s Face to Face, Dr. Aheto-Tsegah highlighted the high cost of feeding students and emphasized the need to alleviate the financial burden on the government.
He proposed that both boarding and day students should contribute to their meal expenses. “If they want to be fed, they must pay,” he stated. “Free SHS should have boarders paying for their food. Because they are in the school, you pay to the school.”
Dr. Aheto-Tsegah also stressed the need for significant infrastructural reforms in SHSs, particularly focusing on reducing overcrowding. He advocated for a shift towards a more robust day school system and community-based schools to improve the learning environment and prevent the outbreak of diseases.
He acknowledged that students facing significant financial challenges would require government support for their meals.
