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Deputy Finance Minister, Abena Osei Asare has backed President Nana Akufo-Addo on his position on criticisms for him to review the Free SHS policy.

The Free SHS, one of the flagship programmes by the Akufo-Addo government, was designed to provide free education to Ghanaian school children in the Senior High Schools.

This policy has since 2017, when the government came into power, been implemented but recent calls on the President suggest he should review it because the policy is contributory factor to the economic burdens on Ghana.

Some critics have proposed that children from rich homes should be excluded from the programme while others want the parents, both rich and poor, to bear some cost of catering for their children instead of they having everything for free.

Responding to the critics, Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, speaking at a press briefing on Thursday to outline measures taken by government to address challenges facing the economy, reiterated the President's stance on the issue.

He indicated that, "President Akufo-Addo has no absolute intention to roll back any major policy like the Free SHS. He sees education as the best and enabling force for sustainable economic growth, transformation, and social mobility, and we will do more to improve on it for it to serve more and better our children".

Expounding further in an interview on Peace FM's morning programme ''Kokrokoo'', Hon. Abena Osei Asare noted that the Free SHS will still hold because its benefits are in the long term.

According to her, contrary to views that the Free SHS is becoming a burden, the policy is rather one of the blessings of the Akufo-Addo government to Ghanaians.

She stated that, currently, there will be no review of the policy asserting that, "when we start tasting of the fruits of the Free SHS, I think people will look back and say we are grateful to God for a President like Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. So, for now, the government wants to continue with the policy and as in when there is the need for any review, the government will review but for now, we have seen the gains and within a spate of five to ten years, the whole conversation will change in this country''.