The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has voiced significant concerns regarding the proposed Free Senior High School (SHS) Bill currently under discussion in Parliament.

The association highlights a worrying lack of consultation with key stakeholders, including teacher unions, in the development of the proposal.

NAGRAT expressed disappointment with the Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei-Adutwum, particularly over plans to separate Junior High School (JHS) from Primary School and eliminate the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) as a prerequisite for Senior High School admission.

The association considers these changes critical and believes they necessitate extensive stakeholder engagement.

In a statement issued on July 3, 2024, NAGRAT stated, "We hereby express our disappointment over the lack of any extensive stakeholder consultations and inputs on the impending supposed Free Senior High School (SHS) Bill, especially from the Teacher Unions whose Members are key in the implementation of the Free Senior High School programme."

The association is calling for the government to halt the bill's presentation to Parliament to facilitate broader consultation. They also appealed to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education to reject the bill, citing the absence of input from education stakeholders, particularly teacher unions.

"We hereby demand that the government, in the interest of mutual respect and acceptance of any law that will affect education, should suspend the presentation of the said bill to Parliament to allow for broad consultation.

"We call on Parliament, especially the Select Committee on Education, that the so-called Bill is without Education Stakeholders' inputs, particularly the teacher unions, and therefore, should respectively, be rejected," the statement continued.

Background

The Majority in Parliament has announced its readiness to introduce the Free Senior High School Bill, which aims to institutionalize the free SHS policy, ensuring its continuity across successive governments. Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin revealed at a press briefing on June 11, 2024, that the Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei-Adutwum, has finalized the bill for presentation.

The initiative is designed to safeguard the policy against potential abolition by future administrations. Afenyo-Markin emphasized, "If we consider it [Free SHS bill] as a House, what that means is that it becomes mandatory for governments to implement this."

"Unless it is repealed, no government would have the right to say, I am not going to enforce Free SHS because now it is law, so if you fail, a citizen can apply to the court as his bona fide and the court can exact justice in that citizen's favour," he added.

As the debate unfolds, NAGRAT insists on the necessity for comprehensive consultations to ensure that any new legislation benefits from the insights and expertise of all relevant stakeholders, particularly those directly involved in the education sector.

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