A picture of the Minister of Education, Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh aka Napo, advertising government’s ‘Free Senior High School (SHS)’ policy, has gone viral on social media.
The picture shows the minister wearing a blue suit, beaming with broad smiles as he displays a white object with an inscription, “I am for Free SHS.”
The picture of the education minister, who is also Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia South in Kumasi, has been sighted on social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp.
At the background of the picture, supposed to have been taken in the minister’s office in Accra, are portraits of Napo and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The education minister’s decision to personally promote the ‘Free SHS’ programme, according to analysts, is a strong indication that Nana Akufo-Addo’s government is determined to roll out the policy.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) made the ‘Free SHS’ policy its number one campaign message towards the December 7, 2016 elections, which it eventually won overwhelmingly.
The party, then the largest opposition political grouping in the country, assured the electorate that when voted into power, it would make sure that senior high school education becomes free for students in public institutions.
President Nana Akufo-Addo argued then that it was unacceptable for any Ghanaian child to be denied secondary education, considering the fact that education is the key to prosperity.
He stated that his administration would ensure that education is free so that the country’s human resource would receive a massive boost and lead to wealth creation and rapid national development.
A few months after winning the 2016 election, the NPP government announced that the policy would be rolled out in September 2017.
PHOTO: Napo markets Free SHS on social media
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