Former President and flag bearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has again taken a swipe at his contender, President Akufo-Addo for poorly implementing the free Senior High School program.
This he said is creating “great inconvenience for the parents, students and teachers.”
John Dramani Mahama insists the NDC government would have implemented the policy better. He stated that his government had initiated plans including the construction of 200 Community Day Senior High Schools to ensure a successful implementation of the policy but the New Patriotic Party government upon assumption of power discontinued the plans leading to the resultant poor implementation.
The free Senior High School policy which was implemented in September 2017 by the Akufo-Addo led administration seeks to make education accessible to every Ghanaian child at the SHS level. The government has since been touting the success of the policy stating it has led to an increase in senior high school enrollment and saved parents millions of cedis.
But Mr. Mahama who has consistently criticized the policy said it has led to congestions in schools and reduced contact hours of students which is impacting negatively on the quality of education. In 2019, he served notice of reviewing the policy should he win the 2020 elections.
This drew criticism from his contender, Nana Akufo-Addo who accused him of scheming to abolish the policy. Though the former president explained his intentions to review the policy is to improve and make it better, his critics insist he would collapse the policy.
However, speaking in the Northern Region during a courtesy call on the overlord of Dagbon, Yaa Naa Abubakar II on August 8, 2020, Mr. reiterated his resolve not to discontinue the policy.
Dismissing clams that he intends to abolish the policy, the former president described those making the claims as “bloody liars”. He explained that he is not against the policy but he is critical of the poor implementation by the Akufo-Addo government.
“Free Senior High School education has come to stay. If anybody tells you that I, John Dramani Mahama, son of E. Mahama will abolish free SHS when I come, tell the person he is a bloody liar,” he emphatically stated.
