Free SHS policy has sacrificed quality for quantity – University of Ghana lecturer

Professor Martin Oteng Ababio, a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana, has voiced his concerns over the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy, criticizing its impact on the country’s educational system. He argued that while the policy has led to increased university enrollment, the government has not matched this with adequate infrastructure improvements in tertiary institutions.

During a media briefing at a National Democratic Congress (NDC) campaign outreach, aimed at promoting the party’s 2024 manifesto, Prof. Ababio expressed support for the NDC’s proposal to review the Free SHS policy. He acknowledged the policy’s benefits but emphasized the negative consequences it has had on the education sector.

“The free SHS has helped,” he stated. “But it has spelt the doom of the whole educational system. The number of students getting into the university has increased tremendously. Lecturers have not increased. The lecture halls have not increased. The residential halls have not increased.”

He further highlighted the strain on resources, particularly at the University of Ghana, saying, “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. That makes it very difficult to reach out to each and every one. How many essays can you mark a day? And how many essays can you give to a student?”

Prof. Ababio’s remarks underline the growing concern about maintaining educational quality amid rising student populations.

Source:dailymailgh.com