Former President John Dramani Mahama has criticised the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for implementing a broad Free Senior High School (SHS) policy in a haste which has resulted in the programme taking all government resources and stifling other developmental projects.
“The problem this government is facing and it is in their own interest, is that, Free Senior High School is absorbing all the fiscal space they have and so almost every money you have, you are having to put it into Free Senior High School. So you can’t pay District Assemblies Common Fund, you can’t pay NHIS (National Health Insurance Scheme), you can’t pay GETFund (Ghana Education Trust Fund), you can’t pay other salaries and things because all your money is going into Free Senior High School,” Mr Mahama said on Saturday, 24 February 2018, during the Unity Walk organised by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Somanya in the Eastern region.
According to him, individuals who cannot meet the financial requirements must be identified and the Free SHS programme designed to meet their needs and “we must adopt a system where those who can afford to pay are able to pay” to free up the burden on the countries resources to be allocated to critical sectors.
“I can afford to pay my son’s Secondary School fees why should you give me free SHS? Identify those who need it and cannot afford to pay and give them bursaries so that they can pay those fees and those who can afford to pay let them go ahead and pay,” he added.
He was concerned that the problems associated with the Free SHS policy will escalate because in subsequent years it will be expanded to cover continuing students and more funds will be needed to sustain the programme.
For him, a stakeholders’ conference and review of the Free SHS programme will “free up space for them to be able to put money into their One-District-One-Factory, One-Village-One-Dam”.
“You don’t put all your money into education alone and when people don’t have water then you say ‘but you have Senior High School’. You put all your money into one thing and when people say they don’t have electricity then you say ‘you have Senior High School’. You put all your money into one thing and when people say they don’t have food then you say ‘you have Senior High School"
Saturday's Unity Walk in Somanya is the 5th in the series after similar exercises were held in the Northern, Greater Accra, Central and Western regions.
Source: citifmonline.com
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Of course, money for free education means no more money for corruption and stealing so John Mahama will talk against Free education. He wants parents to beg he and his corrupt government members to pay their children's school fees so that they feel important. It probably for this reason that they falsely arranged to assign 58 percent of Ghana's bauxite to his brother.
John you better stop talking because you don't make any s'ense when ever you make comments like this.
When will this ***barred word*** ***barred word*** stop talking? Who told his the government cannot pay NHIS? He wasn't doing free SHS but he still couldn't pay NHIS so he should give us a break!!
Please mr fmr prez, if you have been destooled, let us have peace so that the current leader will steer the affairs of the nation. You had your time but you messed it up severely and we have not forgotten about that. Your short memory accusation of the ghanaian does not hold true for most ghanaians. We still recollect your inadequacies in governing this country called Ghana
IT IS REALLY NAUSEATING TO HEAR THESE N.D.C POLITICIANS FROM THE NOTHING PART OF GHANA KICKING AGAINST THE FREE S.H.S POLICY. YOU LOT HAVE ENJOYED THIS POLICY AT THE EXPENSE OF THE OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY FOR SO MANY YEARS WITH ALL THE PROBLEMS SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY BECAUSE OF THE TEETHING PROBLEMS WHICH ARE EXPECTED OF ANY SUCH HUGE POLICY INITIATIVE, YOU ARE CALLING FOR IT'S ABOLITION. WHAT IS GOOD FOR THE GOOSE IS EQUALLY GOOD FOR THE GANDER. BE FOREWARNED THAT IF THE POLICY FAILS, THEN IT SHOULD FAIL FOR THE WHOLE, AND I MEAN THE WHOLE NATION,PERIOD. WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO FEED YOU AND THEN TURN ROUND TO S-T-E-A-L FROM US. WE ARE FED UP WITH YOU FEEDING FAT ON US.
John Mahama the Majopic Thinker. The Create, loot and Share Sector of the economy is crippling day by day because of the free shs.
someone should tell this kleptomaniac incompetent corrupt thie>f that he shd leave us alone and that we in this country like it like that. in his time every sector was crippled due to the gar>gantuan corrup>tion by his team of which he was the gang leader. constructing roads, building hospitals, schools and the likes are constitutionally mandated things that every govt must provide. u dont need to go to school to know that those things are basic necessities of our daily lives. so doing that only makes u more like someone without brains. what makes the difference is the govt's ability to introduce good social intervention programs that will ease the hardship on the ple. u destroyed all the social intervention programmes introduced by ur predecessors and u are still talking. u shd be talking abt ur teammates who will be going to jail. well some have already booked their ticket already. i wasnt surprised he made no mention of his teammate abuga pele going to nsawam.