New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has accused the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) of mismanaging the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme, citing concerns over students’ meals, school placements and the continued operation of the double-track system.
Addressing the NPP’s National Delegates Conference at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on Saturday, October 3, Dr Bawumia said the government had failed to deliver on its promise to improve feeding arrangements for students.
“Free Senior High School is suffering under the NDC. After they promised to improve meals for students, today it has deteriorated,” he said.
He also raised concerns about the school placement process for candidates who have completed the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
According to Dr Bawumia, some parents seeking placements for their children have been told that their wards do not qualify, leaving families frustrated over access to senior high school education.
The former Vice President further faulted the NDC government for retaining the double-track system, which was introduced following the expansion of enrolment under the Free SHS programme.
Dr Bawumia argued that the government’s handling of the policy reflected the NDC’s longstanding opposition to the initiative before it became a major feature of Ghana’s education system.
“I believe many Ghanaians are not surprised by the way the NDC government is managing the Free SHS programme. They never believed in it. They bastardised it for years. They called it 419, election after election, until they realised its impact on every household in Ghana,” he said.
He maintained that the programme would be better managed if the NPP, which introduced the policy, were in office.
“Free SHS would be truly functioning as intended if its initiator, the NPP, was in office,” Dr Bawumia added.
The Free SHS programme was introduced in 2017 under the NPP government to expand access to public senior high school education across the country.
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