Former President and NDC flagbearer aspirant John Mahama has raised concerns over government’s decision to spend a whopping GHC1.8billion on the free SHS Policy next year, saying the money should be divested into other sectors to create opportunities for graduates of the policy when they leave school.
“When these students graduate, where will they get employment? Some of that money should go into investing in the productive sector so that it can generate employment opportunities, so that as the children are coming out of free SHS, they can get work to do. But when we say it, they don’t heed,” he said.
Mahama made the remarks while addressing NDC delegates at Nsuta Kwaman Beposo in the Ashanti region as part of his four days campaign tour in the Ashanti region Friday.
He also accused the ruling NPP of not applying wisdom in initiating policies, as opposed to the NDC.
“Excuse me to say, this government does not think critically before initiating any project. They don’t consider the end effect of what they are doing. Look at the education, we told them to take their time. Free SHS is in the constitution; that it shall be made progressively free. Because the economy has to grow for the government to get money to execute it. But when it comes to basic education it says ‘within 15 years of the promulgation of this constitution, basic education shall be free, compulsory and universal. But when it comes to secondary, it says you should make it progressively free, it means that you have to analyse the economy to make it free progressively,” Mahama stressed.
He mocked: “Jack Toronto just came to power and decided to make it 3 years. Excuse me to say, jack is a movie, I’m not trying to ridicule him, but I’m talking about someone who thinks he has strength and wants to execute this in 3 years. But I know that Ghanaians are looking back to the NDC for hope for a turn-around.
The former President assured however a future NDC government will not cancel the Free SHS policy.
“We will make it better, we will remove the double-track, we will complete construction of the 200 secondary school we started building, so that all children can go to school at the same time. When we finish constructing the schools, we will construct some more in addition”.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM/Senanu Damilola Wemakor
