The National Democratic Congress (NDC) was implementing a progressively free senior high school (SHS) in Ghana before the party left office in 2016, John Dumelo, the Parliamentary Candidate for Ayawaso West Wuogon, has said.
His comment comes on the heels of the raging debate between President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and John Mahama, his party’s presidential candidate, over who introduced the Free SHS programme to Ghanaians.
Mr Mahama had said: “We started the programme and the NPP came and continued it.
“Unfortunately, the implementation has been very poor, and so it ended us in double track. I assure you my country men, that within one year, I will cancel the double track,” he said at Tuobong, a community in the Tempane District of the Upper East Region as part of his campaign tour.
But President Akufo-Addo has expressed shock and dismay at these claims, saying they are a clear indication that the NDC campaign was collapsing in confusion.
“When I promised to bring Free SHS, he said it was not possible and that I was lying to Ghanaians for their votes and that it was going to take over two decades before Ghana could implement such a policy,” Mr Akufo-Addo stated.
Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah also in a tweet said: “The millions of Ghanaians impacted by the free SHS program do not have short memories. They know it was envisioned and started by @NAkufoAddo . They will speak on Dec 7.”
As far back as 2008 @NAkufoAddo sold free shs as a game changer. He has been consistently consistent. In him we have a leader who sees beyond political convenience.
— Kojo Oppong Nkrumah (@konkrumah) November 26, 2020
Adding his voice to this debate, Mr Dumelo said “The framers of the Constitution thought it wise to say PROGRESSIVE introduction of free education.(Article 25(1)(B) of the 1992 Constitution).
“The NDC started the Progressively FREE SHS for the 2015/2016 Academic year by absorbing fees of 320,000 day SHS students across Ghana.”
The framers of the Constitution thought it wise to say PROGRESSIVE introduction of free education’’(Article 25(1)(B) of the 1992 Constitution). The NDC started the Progressively FREE SHS for the 2015/2016 Academic year by absorbing fees of 320,000 day SHS students across Ghana. https://t.co/xYYPP1NZeb
— MrDumelo (@johndumelo1) November 26, 2020
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By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana