Free SHS: My views not different from Ken Ofori-Atta's – Mahama tells Akufo-Addo

The Mahama campaign says the observations of the former President, John Dramani Mahama regarding the Free SHS policy are consistent with the views expressed by the Finance minister, Ken Ofori Atta.

President Akufo-Addo has said he’s worried over the stance of his predecessor in relation to the policy.

“I am alarmed by this concept of review. This is because, anytime our political opponents try anything of this sort, it leads the policy in question into coma. We all remember the NHIS one-term premium payment review pledge. Not only did the review not materialize, but they also succeeded in degrading the policy,” the President bemoaned.

He added:“I honestly suspect reviewing the Free SHS policy means collapsing it. But, I doubt the Ghanaian people will allow this brilliant policy to be collapsed by anyone.”.

But in a statement, the Mahama campaign said: “It is important to point out that “collapse” is not a synonym for “review” and it is therefore mind-boggling that President Akufo-Addo could come to that conclusion.”

The statement continued: “In any case, the call for review by former Mahama is consistent with the recent pronouncement made publicly by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, who is on record as saying in a radio and television interview in Accra, that ““there must be changes in the way the policy is being administered in the future”. It is the considered view of former Mr Mahama that the challenges facing the implementation of Free SHS can be addressed, and he is committed to fixing that problem when elected in 2020.

It said Mr Mahama is deeply committed to the pursuit of high quality secondary education, adding he’ll “spare no effort in making Ghanaian students as competitive as students from elsewhere on the continent and beyond when he wins the 2020 elections.”