The government is preparing to introduce the Free Senior High School (SHS) Bill to Parliament in the coming days, with the aim of regulating and ensuring the sustainability of the policy.
This move is in response to concerns about potential policy cancellations by future administrations and the challenges faced by the program.
The proposed bill seeks to solidify the effectiveness and sustainability of the Free SHS policy, aligning with the aspirations outlined in Chapter 5 of the Constitution. Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, Mr. Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, emphasized the importance of this step to prevent any future government from discontinuing the policy.
He explained that while the provisions in Chapter 5 are currently not enforceable by law, the government aims to make them justifiable through legislation. He stated, “The chapter five of the Constitution provides some aspirational indicatives. Those are not justiciable, but once by a policy of the government, an aspiration as a message by the constitution is put into action then to make it justiciable, you enact.”
Afenyo-Markin urged Members of Parliament (MPs) to actively participate in the legislative process, highlighting the importance of the Free SHS Bill in safeguarding the educational future of Ghana’s youth. He also called for support for various Government Business agendas to improve the living standards of the people of Ghana.
Among the priority business to be transacted by the House are several bills, including the Energy Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Community Service Sentencing Bill, 2024; the Ghana National Service Authority Bill, 2024, and the Ghana Book Development Agency Bill, 2024.
Other bills include the University for Engineering and Applied Sciences (Ankrodie) Bill, 2024; the University for Health, Agriculture and Life Sciences (Kintampo) Bill, the University of Mampong Bill, 2024; the University of Sports and Development Bill, 2024; the Colleges of Applied Arts, Science and Technology Bill, 2024; the Business Regulatory Reform Commission Bill, 2024; and the Conduct of Public Officers Bill, 2024.
Additionally, there are statutory reports that ought to be laid and considered by the House, including the Annual Report on the Management of the Energy Sector Levies and Accounts for the Year 2023; the Annual Public Debt Management Report for the 2023 Financial Year; the Reconciliation Report on the Petroleum Holding Fund for the Year 2023; and the Annual Report on Public Private Partnership Projects for the Year 2023.
