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Does the Free SHS policy really need an Ambassador?

Pulse Ghana’s Magdalene Teiko Larnyoh believes the appointment of actor Abraham Attah to the role of Free SHS Ambassador is a needless move from the government.

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Let me state categorically that I only know Abraham Attah as a 15 year-old Ghanaian actor who was basically plucked from obscurity into the limelight two years ago.

The talented youngster made his feature film debut in the acclaimed movie Beasts of No Nation (2015).

He played the film’s lead role, a child soldier named Agu, and that performance earned him a string of awards, most notable of which were the Marcello Mastroianni Best Young Actor Award at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival, as well as the Independent Spirit Award for  Best Male Lead.

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He currently resides in the USA, where he schools alongside his work as an actor - two things that he already seems to be excelling at. He recently starred in the big budget ‘Spiderman Homecoming’ movie, and also made headlines by recording a 4.0 GPA at the end of his first year.

On Thursday [June 22, 2017], the Ministry of Education appointed and outdoored him as the Ambassador for one of its flagship programmes: The Free SHS program.

This is a flagship policy project of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP). But they did not tell us the package comes with an ambassador.

I can say that many people voted for the NPP because of this programme.

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After the 2016 election, President Akufo-Addo, in an address at Okuapeman School in the Eastern Region in February 2017, announced that the program will commence from September 2017.

“By free SHS, we mean that, in addition to tuition which is already free, there will be no admission fees, no library fees, no science centre fees, no computer lab fees, no examination fees, no utility fees; there will be free textbooks, free boarding, and free meals, and day students will get a meal at school for free.”

He also did not tell us [Ghanaians] that an ambassador will be introduced.

Now, let’s get to it: Is the ambassador role important? Is it necessary?

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In my opinion?

NO! In caps and italics, with an exclamation mark, just so you know the emphasis is real.

Hold your horses. This is not a mere emotional stance.

I have my reasons, and I’ll get to them right away.

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Look, the NPP has other programmes they promised to implement: will they introduce ambassadors for all of them?

Moreover, what role will Abraham Attah play as an ambassador?

Will there be a repeat of what allegedly happened with the Ghanaian ambassadors to the Brazil 2014 World Cup? (remember that?)

Just in case you have forgotten, the report of the Commission of Inquiry into the Black Stars participation into the World Cup tournament revealed that the Ghanaian celebrities who were sent to Brazil as ambassadors to outdoor Ghana at the tournament spent GH¢69,945 on a role whose exact responsibilities we were never able to clearly see or define.

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Actor John Dumelo who was one of the ambassadors claimed they raised over US$2 million for the country.

Will Abraham Attah also raise funds for free SHS?

And if so, will that be necessary?

Because let us remember that the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta had indicated earlier that the programme will be financed from the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA).

Ofori-Atta also said the programme will cost the government GH¢400 million to implement the free SHS programme for the 2017/2018 academic year.

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Then there’s this: Will Abraham Attah be going round to encourage people to go to school?

The 15-year old schools in the USA for crying out loud, how will he do that?

Even if he is able to do it, how will the Ghanaian student relate with him and also buy his message?

I have also heard some people argue that he is to champion Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE). If there is anybody to champion such course it must be Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom. He has been talking about FCUBE forever.

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By the way, the Basic education ends after the Primary and Junior High School (JHS) education and that is not where the free SHS policy will be implemented.

In the worst case of the Ministry of Education insisting on having an ambassador, I believe they should choose a young celebrity who resides in Ghana. This will at least be great motivation for the youth.

But like I’ve already pointed out,] I neither think nor believe that the appointment of an ambassador for free SHS is important in any way.

I think it is another way to waste the tax payer’s money. Maybe another form of corruption brewing.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo: Please revise this decision immediately. It is one of those decisions that can join a list of others to unmake you.

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Or else please don’t say I didn’t tell you.

2020 will surely come.

This is not a threat.

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