The Minority Leader of Ghana’s Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu has described as a “hoax” the governing New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) much touted free Senior High School policy which is to be fully rolled out on Tuesday, September 12, 2017.
He opined that government’s “adhoc” implementation of the policy could break down the nation’s educational system.
The Tamale South legislator was addressing a mammoth crowd at the Kulikuli School Park to climax the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) maiden unity health walk held in Tamale and led by former President John Dramani Mahama.
“My message to President Nana Akufo Addo today is a simple but important one that when he goes to bed today he must rethink his free senior high school policy.”
“It is manifested gargantuan failure and our concerns are that we will not sit down for him to jeopardize our youngsters and the future of our country.”
He said “the idea of free senior high school is a noble social and political educational objective but the pursuit of it must be premised on adequate, reliable and sustainable financing and not experimental financing.”
“Just as the NDC did in 1997 following the difficulties encountered financing tertiary education, we built national consensus which resulted in the GETfund establishment,” the minority leader recalled.
He thus advised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to tread with caution on the free SHS policy implementation. “We are inviting him that we need to dialogue further together as a country towards financing the free senior high school policy in order to safeguard what is currently happening. We know and we say with certainty and without fear and contradiction that he cannot finance it and the economy cannot finance free senior high school education today but it remains a noble social and political objective but we need to be united as a country and determine how to finance it,” he advised Nana Akufo-Addo.
According to him, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo’s administration is in a haste to implement the policy without proper financing.
He served notice that the NDC minority caucus in Parliament will fiercely resist any attempts to implement the policy at all cost for political expediency.
He explained that the NDC as a social democratic party was not against the implementation of the Free SHS policy but insisted that the right structures must be put in place to ensure its sustainability.
Nana Addo will not engage in frivolous expenditure such as azaa judgment debt, SADA, GYEEDA, SUBA, buying cars for Akua Donkor, DVLA, bus branding, etc. so he can do the free SHS. How does the NDC expect people who take home Ghc200 a month to educate their children when someone takes almost Ghc100,000 a month? We shall all benefit from the oil money.
So will u HARUNA say ur free education in d north inttroduced by Nkrumah whivh u benefitted n all northners have benefittted n still benefitting was condemned by opposition???? Why are u in pstliament?if u know it all help Nana Addo n his group to fix it. Afterall ur brother is d Vice predident. U pple shx dtop WASTING OUR TIME with this useldss statement
Why r u parluamrnt?help d president to fix it. Stop dus useless statements. U r an educated man….n MP for dat matter….let it refiect jn ur speeches. Ah. Selfish pple. Everyone wi ENJOY free SHS. Evrn if it is fof a day
This stupid talk from somebody who has benefitted from the system at the expense of other resources from other people must stop immediately . Is it sheer jealousy or foolishness. If it is not sustainable then let’s scrap the program for the north too until resources are available to cater for all Ghanaians
Monkey dry work baboon dey chop must end now.
Point of correction, northerners don’t enjoy any free shs policy from Nkrumah. Is free shs feeding program which both governments even find it difficult funding.
I support free shs that is if disposed monies can be gathered to fund it or a reliable source of funding. My fear is that it may be halted if there is a change of government or be treated like the NHIS where services provided are not paid or paid very less than it cost.