The opposition National Democratic Congress(NDC) has noted that the expanded Free SHS programme to cover private schools to be rolled out when it wins power, will also be funded with oil money just as the governing NPP has done.
At the launch of the party’s 2020 Manifesto themed: “The People’s Manifesto”, the NDC Running mate, Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang said, “We plan to make the Free SHS more inclusive by expanding it to cover students in private senior high schools in under-served and deprived parts of the country.”
The NDC severely criticized the governing NPP when it announced that it will use oil money to fund its flagship Free SHS program.
The Minority Spokesperson on Finance and former Deputy Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson even threatened that the NDC will sue the government for using oil money which is meant for infrastructure to fund the Free SHS programme.
However, when Dr. Clement Apaak, the Minority Deputy Ranking Member on Education in an interview with Kasapa News Akwasi Nsiah was asked why the NDC plans to use oil money after criticizing the NPP, he said he finds nothing wrong with the NDC continuing with what the NPP has done.
“The Free SHS is a policy that has benefited all Ghanaians if the government has been able to find money to fund the programme, is there any problem with the NDC continuing in that direction? We are not looking back, we are looking forward. Our flagbearer, Ex-President Mahama has said the Free SHS has come to stay but has been poorly implemented. Our focus is that we want to address the challenges to make sure it serves Ghanaians better.”
He added that the next NDC government will convene a national dialogue session for the review of the Free SHS program during which the current source of funding will be critically looked at.
