Former President John Mahama has rejected some media reports suggesting that the National Democratic Congress (NDC), will reverse the Free SHS policy if it returns to office in the future.
He said the NDC however believes that the NPP’s current implementation of the programme was rushed, hence the numerous challenges it is being confronted with.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the former President said, many people in the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) as well as Civil Society, believe the current challenges of the programme could have been avoided if the government took time to broadly consult with the various stakeholders before rolling it out.
“A more carefully considered plan of implementation adopted by broad stakeholder consultation would have resulted in clear policies and guidelines, which would have avoided the current challenges plaguing the programme and putting our students in harm’s way.
“This view is not mine only. Many in the NPP and non-partisan civil society hold the same opinion. It is not too late to hold a national stakeholders forum on the Free SHS Programme in order to carry the whole nation along.”
Mahama calls for national dialogue to save ‘failing’ Free SHS
Speaking at Tarkwa in the Western Region during the National Democratic Congress’ Unity Walk, Mr. Mahama urged the government to start a national dialogue and set up a stakeholder conference on the Free SHS policy to save the programme.
“…for this to be the just the first year, and we are seeing such problems, then it means these problems are going to be multiplied by three,” the former President warned.
Read John Mahama’s full Facebook post below:
NDC WILL NOT REVERSE FREE SHS
There are no “naysayers” when it comes to free SHS. After all, it was recognized and enshrined in our constitution by the ordinary people of this nation who gathered at the Consultative Assembly and drew up the 1992 constitution.
Disagreement over the programme is about the optimal pace of implementation. A more carefully considered plan of implementation adopted by broad stakeholder consultation would have resulted in clear policies and guidelines, which would have avoided the current challenges plaguing the programme and putting our students in harm’s way.
This view is not mine only. Many in the NPP and non-partisan civil society hold the same opinion. It is not too late to hold a national stakeholders forum on the Free SHS Programme in order to carry the whole nation along. The current legacy-seeking and ad hoc manner of implementation will multiply the current implementational problems over the next 3 years.
The false publication by a newspaper that the NDC will reverse free SHS is most laughable, false and diversionary.
Free SHS is constitutional, it must be implemented, but it must be implemented properly according to a clear plan that carries all stakeholders along.
NDC will not scrap Free SHS – Mahama
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