There is nothing wrong with students sitting on the floor to learn – Old Tafo MP

Member of Parliament for the Old Tafo constituency, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has emphasized his belief that it is better for students to study under trees without the necessary infrastructure than to go without formal education.

This statement was made as he strongly defended the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, asserting that it should not be subjected to a review. Mr Assafuah expressed this viewpoint during an interview on CitiTV’s Eyewitness News with Umaru Sanda Amadu.

“For me, it is better for a young person to sit on the floor without a desk to learn rather than not being educated. It is better for a young person to go to school without a slipper and be educated than not being educated at all,” he said.

This statement comes in response to recent calls for a review of the Free SHS policy. Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Minister of Education, has also opposed these calls, asserting that the policy does not require any revision.

Mr Assafuah acknowledged challenges in the education sector but maintained that reviewing the policy is not the solution. He emphasized the need for collective leadership support for the policy, underscoring that despite challenges, students are receiving education, which he deems crucial.

Assafuah stressed the importance of providing education for the future generation and urged all Ghanaians to collaborate in addressing challenges instead of advocating for a review of the Free SHS policy.

Ghana has for years been battling with providing quality education. Students in primary schools in most parts of the country lack the needed infrastructure for teaching and learning to take place. In some communities, the way out has been establishing schools under trees.

Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, has disclosed that the government needs to build an additional 5,000 additional school blocks to achieve parity in the provision of educational infrastructure for basic education in the country.

Speaking on The Big Issue on Citi TV and Citi FM, the education advocate said the lack of infrastructure is encouraging parents to take their children to the farm instead of sending them to school. He further stated that the government is doing too little to resolve this challenge.