The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said former President John Dramani Mahama and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) cannot claim glory for the free senior high school policy after all their plans had failed to prevent the implementation of the programme in this country.
According to Dr Bawumia, the NDC had a lawsuit against free SHS dismissed at the Supreme Court coupled with a series of demonstrations they intended to organize against the policy. He said many tactics deployed by the largest opposition party failed to materialize.
However, he noted because of the bold and decisive leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Ghanaian children are now enjoying free senior high education including free uniforms, free textbooks and free meals.
“This has never happened in Ghana because no government has done this before. When Nana Akufo-Addo promised to introduce free senior high education, the NDC said we were lying and that it was a 419. John Mahama vowed not to implement the policy even if he had two billion Ghana Cedis”
Meanwhile, the response of the 2020 Running Mate of the governing NPP comes in the wake of a claim made by former President John Dramani Mahama that he had introduced the free Senior High School policy in 2015.
Addressing separate meetings and rallies last Sunday November 29, 2020, in the Tamale Central, Tamale North, Tamale South and Sagnarigu constituencies, Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia reiterated that the Akufo-Addo led administration will pay the fees of students who gain admission into the University with the Tertiary Students Loan after senior high.
“We know how difficult it is for some parents to pay the fees of their wards, if you couldn’t pay for the SHS how can you pay university fees? So the government will pay fees for our children who pass to go to the university, we will give them the Tertiary Students Loan so that when they complete and end their National Service and get jobs they would pay the loan with their salaries” he explained further.
Dr Bawumia emphasized that, “If we don’t do this majority of the children will be left home and this will not be productive for our nation Ghana.”
