The National Youth Wing of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) is claiming that former President, John Dramani Mahama will collapse the Free Senior High School program if he wins the 2020 elections.
According to the youth wing, past utterances by the former President to scrap and review the policy is indicative of his intent for the program.
Speaking at a youth conference dubbed ‘The Youth Must Know Series’, the National Youth Organizer, Henry Nana Boakye said the recent u-turn by the John Mahama is simply a deceptive move.
“It will be recalled that Mr. Mahama at the 27th Annual Residential Delegates Congress organized by the Ghana National Union of Technical University Students in Kumasi stated that Free SHS is here to stay. An assertion that contradicts the mould and entrenched hostility exhibited by the NDC against the free SHS policy since 2008.
“The seeming endorsement given by President Mahama is driven by deception and opportunism. In an unlikely event, a very unlikely event, if former President Mahama is given another opportunity to lead this nation, he will cancel free SHS.”
Mr. Mahama at a recent meeting with some students in Kumasi refuted the NPP’s claims that the NDC will cancel the free SHS policy should they return to the office.
He admitted that Free SHS is here to stay and cannot be reversed by any government.
His remarks were in response to President Nana Akufo-Addo’s claims that a return of the NDC would mean a cancellation of the Free SHS policy.
John Mahama said that a future NDC government will hold stakeholder consultations to address the bottlenecks confronting the smooth implementation of the policy.
“In the first three months of my coming into office we will hold a stakeholder consultation with parents, teachers and educational experts to identify and eliminate all the bottlenecks that are affecting the implementation of free SHS programme. Free SHS is here to stay.
“Indeed it is underpinned and guaranteed by the 1992 constitution of Ghana and it cannot be reversed by any government. All administrations including this one and any future one have an obligation to make it a qualitative and enjoyable experience for our children.”
