NDC has no moral right to critique Free SHS – NPP MP

The Member of Parliament for Assin South Constituency in the Central Region, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, says the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) does not have the moral right to criticize the Free Senior High School policy of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.

The MP said “if any group of people would want to critique it, NDC should refrain from it because they kicked against it and today they have made a U-turn that they started free education”.

“You said you are going to do free progressive [education] but we are saying we can do it now and they came in to say it will not be possible.

It has become possible,” Rev Ntim Fordjour gave the explanations on Tuesday on TV3’s New Day hosted by Bright Nana Amfoh. Senior high schools across the country reopened on Monday for the 2017/18 academic year. Ordinarily, the reopening would have passed without any fanfare, as the reopening of SHSs is a normal occurrence.

However, this particular reopening is significant: It is the first time in many years that first-year and continuing students are reporting to school on the same day since it marks the beginning of the government’s eagerly awaited flagship educational programme, the Free SHS policy.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo officially launched the programme at the West Africa SHS (WASS) at Adentan in the Greater Accra Region on Tuesday.

NDC ‘completely confused’

During the panel discussions, the Assin South MP said “[NDC] are completely confused about their position on the free SHS.

The NDC has been ineffective and inconsistent in articulating their position on the free SHS because now, every Ghanaian is happy except the few minority who wish Free SHS would fail”.

This will be remembered in history as one of the most important social interventions by the NPP government and President Akufo-Addo and Ghanaians will always remember him for that,” Rev. Fordjour stated.

The MP noted that “the hardship of finding a school for your ward is gone because let me use myself as an example, there were a lot of time I had to excuse myself from the dining hall because I had not paid my fees but today that thing is gone”. He added: “It is important that the government have to be sensitive to the plights of the masses because the monies that parents are going to use for fees will be used for other businesses”.

The Member of Parliament for Buem Constituency in the Volta Region, Daniel Kwesi Ashiamah, said “what a jerky steps that we are have taken towards such policy”. “How much is going to be used to support this programme? That is what we [in NDC] want to know because when you look at the figures, they are huge but the future is blur.

“We don’t hate free SHS because the children of this country are not about politics. [President Akufo-Addo] did not promise Ghanaians piecemeal. He said all. He did not say the first years will benefit from the free SHS.”