Whatever our gripes may be about the Free SHS programme, the fact still remains that until the initiative, kids who couldn’t enter the secondary school system were forced to cut short any ambitions of becoming ‘somebody’ in future other than a traditional seamstress or tailor, carpenter or ‘shoe-shine boy’, among our typical menial vocations.
Drop-out rates at basic education level to secondary and secondary to tertiary level then worsened, creating a bottomless avalanche of young people without a future.
Particularly, after the introduction of the JHS system and reduction in the duration of the secondary school system, the situation degenerated in the kind of joblessness unheard off in the country.
The trend had therefore been for the fortunate ones with connections to put their kids and wards into state institutions, including an endless queue to join the Civil and Public Service or Prisons, Immigration, Ghana Revenue Authority and the Ghana Armed Forces.
Without such connections, the unfortunate only had to join the unemployed youth bandwagon, with the girls left with the option of getting married to produce their types in a never-ending cycle of hopelessness.
Bawumia role model
That is why the story about a student from Adeiso in the Eastern Region makes interesting reading and analysis, providing evidence about the magic associated with the Free SHS initiative.
Hitherto, the role models of these unfortunate young ones had been to become party delegates at all costs, eating from the crumbs of politicians eternally.
You could tell that by the surging inordinate interest university students, particularly, are developing in political programmes as a matter of life and death.
Higher aspirations
We would also recall another such instance about two years ago, when a young student stated at a forum that her role model was former Chief Justice Georgina Wood.
It is emerging that, all of a sudden, boys and girls who were once upon a time condemned to be scavengers of plastic and metal scraps have found courage to aspire to be more than what they ordinarily would have bargained for, but for the introduction of the Free SHS. This is clear confirmation that the programme has, indeed, become a game-changer not only in politics but the development of Ghana.
For those who have bothered to take notice, it is no longer students from Achimota or Adisadel; OLA or St. Augustines who can make very impressive grades.
The intriguing story of Thomas Amoaning confirms that those who gave us the Free SHS vision are God-sent, and need our support to remain in office to do more for the ordinary people.
True role models
Amoaning’s aspiration, God willing, to strive to become an economist like Vice-President Bawumia and the other young lady’s to become legal luminary like Georgina Woode offer a lot of useful lessons. At least, they show that they are ready to take advantage of the opportunities the Free SHS programme offers to become leaders instead of pawns in a dog-eat-dog cultural environment without the Free SHS programme.
As it is turning out, the impact is not only great but also has the potential to be the life-saving initiative that will provide the nation with the human resource base it needs to develop faster and join the comity of middle class, progressive nations across the world.
Deception
Those who cannot appreciate this fact are those who may be bitter that the magic far transcends the kind of politics they are familiar with or leadership styles needed to be relevant in the world today. For such pessimists, any attempt to discuss further innovations and initiatives is like pouring water on rocks.
Their warped minds made up, they can only hope that they succeed in shooting the vision, while they develop in their dens degenerate ploys to undo the good works accomplished by the leadership of the ruling New Patriotic Party headed by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Thankfully, those who are happy about the ongoing progressive development are more than those with them.
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