Free SHS: Lies and arrogance will send NPP to opposition - Chief Biney

Communication Member of the Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Chief Biney, has predicted that “lies and arrogance” will soon send the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to opposition.

Chief Biney argued that that NPP are deploying lies in explaining the free Senior High School policy to Ghanaians, adding that “when they are exposed they turn around to criticize their critics arrogantly”.

According to Chief Biney, the NPP Government, while in opposition promised to provide Free Education to every Ghanaian child, but have now reneged on the promise due to the realities of Governance, noting that “the NPP Government should be bold to tell Ghanaians that there is no money to implement and sustain the Free SHS Policy, and so we would be providing scholarships instead of the promised Free SHS, because that is what they are providing now” “They promised to give free SHS to every Ghanaian, but they are now saying that it is only the first years’ who are going to enjoy this policy, which is very disappointing, and Parents have realized that they have been deceived but they just want to keep mute and manage”, he told Bright Kwesi Asempa, the host of Onua Fm morning show on Monday.

He further added that funding for the policy is has not been made known as the Government and its communicators keep contradicting government position with different explanations.

He said; “the Deputy Finance Minister, Mrs. Abena Osei Asare, told us Government is ready with GHC 280 million Cedis, and this is about 50%, only for the Education Minister to come and tell us that Government has realized only 20% of the funds earmarked for the policy, then their communicators are also saying different thing, so who is telling the truth” he wondered.

Meanwhile, Mr. Saka Salia, a member of the ruling NPP who was on the same show, refuted Chief Biney’s assertions. He explained that the Free SHS, like every other policy, needs to start from somewhere, and “this is what they NPP has done”, adding that the Ghanaians never witnessed anything free in terms of education under the NDC Government, and that even the NDC’s own FCUBE which should have been implemented by the end of the year 2000 never saw the light of the day.

He further accused the NDC Party as being “detractors of the progress of this country”, citing several examples including the NDC’s boycott of the Parliamentary deliberation on the National Health Insurance Scheme Policy on the floor of Parliament some years back, while in opposition, among others.