Free SHS not working - Mahama tells Akufo-Addo

Former President John Mahama has chastised the Nana Akufo-Addo administration over the implementation of its flagship free

Speaking Saturday at a Unity Walk organised by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Tarkwa in the Western Region, the ex-president noted that when the Rawlings administration wanted to implement the GETFund policy, a national stakeholders conference was organized to gather ideas for a smooth implementation.

Today, he added, GETFund is responsible for many school projects, especially at the secondary level, across the country.

Citing another example, Mr Mahama said before the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme, former President Kufuor organized a stakeholders' conference on how to implement the policy.

However, in the case of President Akufo-Addo and the implementation of the free SHS, the ex-President said the implementation was hurriedly done.

This, he observed, has created a lot of challenges in many schools.

According to him, if the policy, which was started with only first-year students, should cover all students in the next three years, the challenges associated with its implementation now will more than double.

He, has, therefore called for a national dialogue on the funding and sustainability of the programme which he claims was not originated by the NPP and that it a provision in the 1992 constitution.

Meanwhile, the government has assured that it will work to address all the challenges associated with the implementation of the policy.

According to a Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, the government is aware of the problems secondary schools are facing but said children cannot wait until the challenges in the education sector are fixed.

“We did not go into the implementation of Free Senior High School with allusions that it’s all going to be hunky-dory… but no child can wait their turn until everything is great in this country before they can have the opportunity for secondary education,” he said in Parliament on Friday.