The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says his Government has ensured that poverty is no longer a stumbling block to the access of education of Ghana’s children, as a result of the implementation of the Free Senior High School policy in September 2017.
According to President Akufo-Addo, who expressed joy in his government for initiating the policy stated that, he’s glad to say education in the public sector is free from Kindergarten to Senior High School, which have been redefined as basic education. This initiative has resulted in a significant increase in pupil enrollment, with 1.2 million children currently in Senior High School, the highest in our nation’s history.
The President made this known on Wednesday, 25th September, 2019, when he delivered a statement at the 30th Anniversary of the adoption of The Convention on the Rights of the Child”, on the sidelines of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
With Ghana being the first country to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, he stated that, his government have never been in doubt about the heavy responsibility that goes with Ghana’s position as a trailblazer of the Convention, and have, since its ratification, enacted national legislation, and instituted reforms in education, healthcare, and social protection systems, all aimed at translating the relevant provisions of the Convention into policy and action.
President Akufo-Addo described the world’s children as their greatest treasure today, as he explained that, beyond their protection, world leaders must invest in their development. He added that, anytime he is ecounters the Ghanaian child, he is reminded to toil harder with the objective to guarantee that knowledge and well-being become the backbone of the modern, prosperous economy his goverment is trying to construct.
The Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces noted that, knowledge is the only way by which they can rid the society of ignorance, poverty and disease, and, thereby, accelerate progress towards a better future for our children. Ghana, President Akufo-Addo told the event, has also made considerable progress in reducing childhood mortality and morbidity, through effective national immunization campaigns and universal coverage of primary healthcare for all Ghanaians, particularly children.
He explained that, they are committed to ending child marriage, and eradicating all forms of child labour, trafficking, and slave-like practices, in line with SDG 8. ‘Operation Get off the Street Now for a Better Life’ has been initiated, and the Ghana Child Labour Monitoring Information System (GCLMIS) has been re-activated.
In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of this Convention, the President urged the gathering to remember the words of the late Secretary-General of the United Nations, who, at the Special Session of the UN for Children in New York in May 2002, said, “history will judge by the difference they make in the everyday lives of children.
