'Clueless' Mahama will collapse Free SHS – Bawumia

Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, says former President John Mahama, has no clue about the sustainability of Government’s flagship programme of Free Senior High School (Free SHS) and that he challenges him to proffer concrete alternatives to the programme if he has any.

Addressing a ceremony to formal Commissioning Glofert Fertilizer factory under Government’s flagship programme of One District, One Factory (1D1F) at Asuboi in the Eastern Region, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, pointed out that “it was interesting to hear former President Mahama say yesterday, the 14th of August 2019 that now he is committed to free Senior High School education” .

“He says he will review when he comes. You have been criticizing this policy since 2012 but as at today, he is not able to tell us exactly what he will do”. The Vice President challenged the former President to suggest concrete policies and not to propose to call stakeholders meeting to consult. “That is not leadership, tell us exactly what you will do. I throw this challenge to him [John Mahama], he should come out and tell us what he will do because the visionary Nana Akufo Addo not only said he will do it, he has done it” Dr. Bawumia said.

On the issue of the double-track system introduced by government to increase access to the Free Senior High School programme, the Vice President said just as churches in Ghana hold first service, second service and in some churches third services without turning members away due to lack of seats or space, the double-track system will continue until government is able to build adequate infrastructure to meet the increasing numbers.

“If you are a church and you have more and more people wanting to come to your church, but you don’t have enough seats in the church do you drive them away? You don’t drive them away. You do first service, you do second service and you do third service if you need to do it. This is the thinking behind the double trace system. We will double track until we complete the construction of all the facilities and we are going to complete the construction of all the facilities” Dr. Bawumia stated.

The Vice President further noted that he is hundred percent certain that if the former President John Dramani Mahama was in office today, “Ghana would not have Free SHS, hundred percent certain that we not have the Teacher Training Allowance, we will have the Nursing Training Allowance, we will not have Planting for Food and Jobs, we would not have One Constituency, One Million Dollars, we will not have One Village, One Dam or One Constituency One Ambulance. We will not have the National ID Card, we will not have the Digital Address, we will have the paperless Port, we will not have the Mobile Money Interoperability and definitely, we will not have One District, One Factory (1D1F)”