A group of university lecturers are embarking on a vigorous campaign to protect the Free Senior High School policy.
The group, University Lecturers for Free SHS say the policy is a crucial intervention that targets particularly the poor and must be protected.
They are of the firm belief that electing a different political party into power in the December elections could disrupt the implementation of the policy and ultimately lead to its cancellation and thus, are on a mission to have the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and its candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia re-elected.
Speaking in an interview on State of Our Nation on Dreamz FM, PRO of the group, Wilson Dabuo said a Bawumia administration will be in the best position to sustain and improve the policy since the Vice-President was key in its initiation and subsequent implementation.
“Let’s protect it and the only way we can protect is to have our votes for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who is the brain behind and the one that facilitated the implementation of this Free SHS,” he stated.
He fears the policy could be cancelled if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama are voted into power.
A history lecturer at the University of Education, Winneba, Wilson Dabuo detailed the former president’s opposition against the policy prior to his defeat in the 2016 elections.
John Dramani Mahama, who was then the president of Ghana, opposed the NPP then presidential candidate’s proposal for a free education implementation at the SHS level, presenting a counter proposal of expanding infrastructure first before considering making it free.
Nana Akufo-Addo, however, insisted the policy must be implemented right way and made it his topical campaign promise in the lead up to the 2016 elections.
Following the implementation of the policy under the Akufo-Addo administration, which was elected into government in the 2016 elections, John Mahama has been critical of the policy.
While acknowledging the policy as a good initiative, he maintained it has been poorly implemented and promised to expand and improve it if he is voted into power.
But for Mohammad Tuofik Adams, a member of the group, the NDC flagbearer has been believe in the policy and cannot make it better.
Tuofik Adams, who is a political communication lecturer at the Communication Department of the University of Professional Studies, Accra, argued that the former president’s promise is a mere political gimmick, aim at winning votes since the policy has been widely accepted.
The lecturer dismissed claims that the roll out of the policy has compromised the quality of education, arguing that recent student performance statistics rather indicate improved academic outcomes.
“Our students are good, are able to write very well just like any other good student. Check the records from WAEC, the results that are churned out before Free SHS and the results that are churned out in this Free SHS era. This Free SHS is the best policy you can ever have, well implemented and when the students write, you can even do a course-by-course analysis. Check their results for English Language, check the performance and see if indeed, these students are not able to write and write very well. These are all part of the political gimmicks in order to win votes,” he stated.
He called on Ghanaians to not fall for Mahama’s attempt to hoodwink them to vote him but keep the NPP and its flagbearer in power to sustain and improve the policy.
