Fact Check: Has Mahama contradicted himself on which Gov’t started Free SHS?

November 26, 2020 11:27 AM

NDC flagbearer John Dramani Mahama has sparked controversy after claiming he started the Free SHS programme.

Fact Check: Has Mahama contradicted himself on which Gov’t started Free SHS?

The claim:

Addressing some party faithful on his tour of the Upper East Region, he said the erstwhile NDC administration launched the Free SHS policy in 2015.

According to him, Free SHS began under his tenure and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) only came to continue it.

Free SHS logo Pulse Ghana

“We started the programme and the NPP came and continued it. Unfortunately the implementation has been very poor, and so it ended us in double track.

“I assure you my country men, that within one year, I will cancel the track,” Mahama said at Tuobong, a community in the Tempane District.

The contradiction:

With Mahama making these huge claims, it appears he contradicted himself after previously saying that Ghana is not yet ready for Free SHS.

In the lead up to the 2016 election, he boldly stated at a rally that “Ghana must not introduce Free SHS” on the promise of the then candidate Akufo-Addo.

“Ghana must not introduce Free SHS on the whimsical promise of a desperate politician. Many mistakes have been made by countries in Africa already with Free SHS,” Mahama said before the last elections.

Launch of Free SHS

The current Free SHS policy was the flagship campaign message of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) during the 2016 elections.

The programme was officially it rolled out in September 2017, allowing over 500,000 kids to enroll in various secondary schools.

However, the policy encountered a number of challenges after being implemented, as the availability of space forced government to adopt a double-track system.

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