John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has criticized the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), accusing them of inconsistency in their stance on the ongoing debate regarding the review of the free Senior High School (SHS) Policy.
Despite mounting pressure, the NPP has staunchly opposed calls for a review of the free SHS program initiated in 2017.
Addressing attendees at the launch of the Ghana National Association of Private School Week, themed “2024 Elections: The Private Education Manifesto,” Mahama rebuked the NPP administration for pledging to review and rationalize the policy in a document submitted to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), while conveying a different message to the Ghanaian populace.
“In the agreement with the IMF, under point 47, page 76 of the IMF country report which was signed in January 2024, it says that ‘in the educational sector, we will review and rationalize the Free SHS.”
Furthermore, Mahama criticized the NPP for their failure to provide textbooks for students, despite implementing curriculum changes for Basic Education over the past four years.
He emphasized the importance of equitable educational opportunities, reminiscing about his own upbringing and stressing the need to invest in rural schools where students often lack basic amenities such as chairs and textbooks.
“I believe I am who I am today because my father gave me the opportunity to attend Achimota Primary School to have a very good foundation, and so once I went to secondary school, it was easier for me to get to the university. But you cannot say the same for a child in a rural school, and so we have to look at equity in our educational system and see how we can improve investments in the poor rural schools. Some of them have no chairs, and the curriculum has changed, and yet no textbooks are available for the students and teachers.”
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