The government’s intention to examine the existing Free Senior High School (Free SHS) initiative as a result of the economic crisis has been mocked by the General Secretary of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia, when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by former President John Dramani Mahama called for a review of the policy in 2020 to ensure its continuation, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his New Patriotic Party cohorts misinterpreted this to mean the NDC wanted Free SHS to collapse.
“Today, the NPP has declared a review for the policy,” he stated, before asking what dictionary the NPP will consult to determine the definition of the word “review.”
He laughed at the fact that the NPP has finally realized that “review” does not imply “collapse.”
“From the beginning when the policy was adopted, we saw it coming and understood sustainability would be a struggle,” the NDC scribe stated in an interview with Kwame Obeng Sarkodie on the Ghana Yensom morning show on Accra 100.5 FM on Tuesday, March 22, 2022.
He claimed that the NPP’s plan of execution for the Free SHS program aimed to treat haves and have-nots equally, which he believes “cannot be practicable.”
He indicated that this method of implementation was not sustainable for the policy.
He stated that the NDC believes in each person based on their own needs.
He questioned how a student who attended Morning Star, Ghana International School, and other schools and paid university-level fees should be entitled to free secondary school tuition.
“It doesn’t make economic sense,” he explained, “and that’s why the policy is having difficulties.”
“The issue with the policy was the blanket admittance of all pupils, which resulted in the double-track system,” he continued.
He reminded the administration that the fundamental issue with the Free SHS policy is money, not anything else, and that if elected, the NDC will find the finances and evaluate the policy to ensure its long-term viability.
