Enrolment in senior high school has increased by 50 per cent since the introduction of the free senior high school programme by the Akufo-Addo government, Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia has said. 

Speaking at a ceremony to hand over some 75 buses and five pickup trucks to some selected public schools on Thursday, 26 May 2022 at Accra High Senior High School, Dr Bawumia said: “In the last 5 years, our government has committed to increasing access to quality education and providing vehicles to Secondary Schools to support the transportation of our growing population in these schools”. 

“This government, since 2017, resulting from the President’s Free Senior High School policy, has increased secondary school enrolment to an excess of 1.2 million students. Indeed, the introduction of Free SHS has increased the senior high enrolment in Ghana by 50% and this is massive”. 

He noted that the handing over of the buses and trucks was in further fulfilment of the government’s pledge to address the logistical and other needs of the education sector and expand access to education. 

The beneficiary institutions include Lambussie Community Day SHS, St James Seminary, Begoro Presby SHS, Techimantia SHS, Odupong SHS, Asankragua SHS, Wa SHS, and Koforidua SHTS. 

Others are STEM SHS Kpasenkpe,  Accra Academy SHS, Anum Boso SHS, Tepa SHS, Northern School of Business, Osino Presby SHS, Oti Boateng SHS, Tarkwa SHS, Asare Bediako SHS, Assin North SHTS and Bosomtwe Girls STEM SHS. 

This is the fourth time the Vice-President has handed over vehicles to schools and institutions in the education sector in the last two years, after earlier occasions in March 2020 (365 Isuzu Double Cabin Pickup trucks out of 840 procured by the Government: distributed to all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Directorates of Education as well as selected agencies under the Ministry of Education, together with 493 motorbikes out of 2000 procured to aid the work of Circuit Supervisors); and July 2020 (100 out of 350 buses procured). 

Dr Bawumia also handed over, in January 2022, 100 Pickups and 50 buses to more schools. Today’s handover, he emphasized, is further concrete evidence of the Government’s “commitment not only to increase access but also to ensure that we provide the complementary resources to make sure that we deliver quality education for our nation. 

“In handing over these buses and pickups, I want to encourage the various schools receiving these buses and pickups to ensure a maintenance culture to harness the potential in these students for our transformational agenda.” 

“Ladies and gentlemen, the handover of buses today is part of efforts to increase access to quality education anchored on a robust education system that trains a critical mass of students to be empowered to be active participants in our country’s transformation,” he underscored. 

Dr Bawumia commended the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, and the leadership of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), for their “hard work” which has ensured the procurement and delivery of the vehicles. 

“Please continue with this hard work so that we can see more vehicles for our students,” he urged.