Review and Re-Evaluate the Northern Region Free Education

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Debunked!! 10 years ago

Your exposition is tribalistic, period.
The Northern Scholarship Scheme is not meant for northern tribes as you portray in your write-up. The scholarship scheme is tied to schools located in the North not tribes from the Nor ...
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Your exposition is tribalistic, period.
The Northern Scholarship Scheme is not meant for northern tribes as you portray in your write-up. The scholarship scheme is tied to schools located in the North not tribes from the North.
If a student from the southern part of Ghana attends a school located in the North, he or she pays what the school charges. The schools in the North do not charge different fees for different tribes. Ask parents of students who attended and continue to attend Tamale Technical Institute whether they were charged higher fees than students from the North. Your position on the wealthy is misleading as well. Are you saying that anybody with a Muslim sounding name went to school in the North? What about the Northern policeman stationed in Kumasi? Does he pay less for his children, because they are Northerners?
What about the Cocoa Marketing Board Scholarship meant solely for southerners? Should Northerners be awarded some of it, too? Do your research and you will find that just one year of the Cocoa Marketing Board Scheme wiped out all of the scholarship schemes ever awarded to the Northern schools since its inception. What about the Northern schools themselves? Can you name one school that you will like to send your child to? Lets be honest. You are simply envious of something you are speculating about. For academicians of your stature, you should have researched the supposed "Northern Scholarship Scheme" itself rather engaging in this one-sided self-serving man-of-straw argument you have put out here.
IDRIS PACAS 10 years ago

Next time, give specific and realistic examples. Which other groups of persons also deserve free education but are still deprived of it?

Your ignorance of the free education policy for Northern Ghana is evidenced by your t ...
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Next time, give specific and realistic examples. Which other groups of persons also deserve free education but are still deprived of it?

Your ignorance of the free education policy for Northern Ghana is evidenced by your tagging it with tribes/ethnic groups. Also, many of the vague arguments raised stems from your not knowing Northern Ghana.

The main point is 'Is education free in the North? Students buy textbooks, their uniform, pay exams free and what have you? Perhaps, the single major difference is the boarding fees which 'Northerners' don't pay.

This ignorance of yours was that which the Nana-led NPP exploited during the 2012 election campaign. The claim was that Northerners are enjoying free education and JM being a northerner does not want to extend free education to the south. Unfortunate. Ghana is for Ghanaians.

Read the educational policy of Ghana and its achievements and you'll notice that payment of schoolfees is not a problem. If free education is the solution, then all private schools would have collapsed when the caption grant was introduced making basic education theoretically free.

Today in Accra, more than 50 % of pupils are in private schools.And despite the economic hardship, parents are not withdrawing the wards from such schools. WHY? Compare the number of candidates from the north and south who are able to pass well at both BECE and WASSSCE. And you'll realize that cheap things are costly.

Together, let's think of policies that benefit Ghanaians and forget of ethnocentric issues. You (the writers)claim to be living in the US, did Obama being the president result in changing of the affirmative policies in the US?

GHANAWEB is not a platform for exhibiting ignorance and ethnocentrism. Be smart next time.
Iddris Seinu 10 years ago

let your NPP come and do that Job OK? Why did you change when Kuffuor was in Government?

let your NPP come and do that Job OK? Why did you change when Kuffuor was in Government?
Dr. Ali 10 years ago

Idris argue your points out in a healthy manner and do not insult. This is only a topic for discussion.

Idris argue your points out in a healthy manner and do not insult. This is only a topic for discussion.
USMAN 10 years ago

Southerners pay what they call southern fees. The most anoying aspect is that you see Nigerians, Nigeriens, Burkinabes, Malians and Ivorians enjoying the the northern scholarship because they bear Muslim names whiles southern ...
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Southerners pay what they call southern fees. The most anoying aspect is that you see Nigerians, Nigeriens, Burkinabes, Malians and Ivorians enjoying the the northern scholarship because they bear Muslim names whiles southerners are denied the scholarship. I think you are rather ignorant because, most probably, you are one of those useless university graduates.
Bogus article 10 years ago

Before you sit down with your empty research make sure you know the fact. Who gave you that PHD? First of all your reason for the northern scholarship is flawed. The northern scholarship was one of the condition for independe ...
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Before you sit down with your empty research make sure you know the fact. Who gave you that PHD? First of all your reason for the northern scholarship is flawed. The northern scholarship was one of the condition for independent from the British because the north was used as a labor camp to build Ghana which was down south free bontoo. The the south had free education for over 100 years when northerners had no single school. That was alright then right? Please do your research well before you come up with your jealous nonsense. Well if this percentages are true we should hail the north because they have come a long way to make this happen. GOD"S BLESSINGS IS WITH THEM.
military man 10 years ago

You are wrong from the get go.

Tell me the name of even one person from the South who went to school in the North on the Northern scholarship scheme. A load of bull you are putting out there.

I went to school with a l ...
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You are wrong from the get go.

Tell me the name of even one person from the South who went to school in the North on the Northern scholarship scheme. A load of bull you are putting out there.

I went to school with a lot of Northerners and all of them were on these scholarships which were automatic as long as that individual was from the North. And that was the only criteria used for those scholarships. It didn't matter if the student was academically good or not, the scholarship was his or hers for as long as the course or propram duration

What you are not making clear on is that for the CMB scholarship the student had to prove that he or she was worth it every term . If one's grades fell, the scholarship was withdrawn.
So you see, the two scholarship schemes were entirely different.

And please have your facts in line too. You asked if the Northern policeman stationed in Kumasi paid less for his kids who were schooling in Kumasi. Definitely!!! I attended K-Poly and for the 4years that I was there before going to Tech (then UST), I had Northern classmates whose parents were based in Kumasi who paid nothing or half of the fees I was paying and that's a fact!!! You can go and research too, if you like.

So the Northern scholarship was more "sectional" than being tribalistic. It was solely instituted to benefit the northern section of the country on it's inception when there was this disparity between the North and the South. So I think the writers are correct in saying that the scheme has achieved it's intial objective. There's little or no disparity anymore so that scholarship scheme should either be cancelled or made available to all our children regardless of region. Only this time, it should be fashioned on similar lines like the CMB scholarship. If the kid's grades are not good, he or she doesn't get it. Period.
Stephen 10 years ago

it is good to fraw attention to issues of national concern, however, the authors do not produce statistcs to shwo that the situation has change with respect to education and they fail to note tht the constitutions requeres th ...
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it is good to fraw attention to issues of national concern, however, the authors do not produce statistcs to shwo that the situation has change with respect to education and they fail to note tht the constitutions requeres that education should be progressively free for all at all levls in Ghana. If we can accelerate the provision of free education for all we should not advocate removal of free educaion for those who are on it now.
Dr. Ali 10 years ago

If education is not for all now it should be rotating for all citizens benefit.

If education is not for all now it should be rotating for all citizens benefit.
salifu 10 years ago

If one is called MAHAMAH, he enjoys THE NORTHERN SCHOLARSHIPS SCHEME at ACHIMOTA or ABURI GIRLS Period!

If one is called MAHAMAH, he enjoys THE NORTHERN SCHOLARSHIPS SCHEME at ACHIMOTA or ABURI GIRLS Period!

John 10 years ago

This article is written by ignoramuses of the first order. They lack a total understanding of why the northern scholarship was instituted by the CPP government in the first place. Having a number of qualified northerners in c ...
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This article is written by ignoramuses of the first order. They lack a total understanding of why the northern scholarship was instituted by the CPP government in the first place. Having a number of qualified northerners in cabinet now, and national offices is no evidence that the north has come of age, and does not need support; visit the three regions and you will see sheer deprivations stemming from unequal colonial and post-colonial developments policies. It's not only the north that has scholarships for education, there is one for wards of cocoa farmers, but not for the laborers of the cocoa many of whom were and continue to be northerners. Until recently, northerners lacked a single university or polythenic and had to travel long distances to attend boarding schools; I am a southerner but went up north in the 1970s to school, and I still remember some of the conditions under which I lived as a student. Those were the days funding for school was free as per the authors statements. Could the authors tell us where else or which tribes are the most underprivileged that need support?. By their statement, they have already tribalized the discourse about who needs support but the "northern free education" is not targeted at tribes but schools. As a poor southerner who attended schools there( my father was a carpenter in Navrongo) I was supported by the boarding facilities. Our present educated people must learn the history of this country before jumping to make nonsensical statements such as this. Clearly, these two authors have never visited the north to see that part of the country. A bit of lesson: When the British handed over power , some seed money was left behind for the north to help close the gap between the north and the south. They were guilty that they made the place as a resevoir of labor for the mines and plantations in the south. Nkrumah in his wisdom instituted a more holistic and national project instead of giving that money away. That today, people will continue to suggest and fan these tribalistic sentiments because they have seen some few northerners doing well beats my mind. The authors in the US must by now know that there is something called an affirmative action in the US to right the past experience of African-Americans in that country?
HolyGhost 10 years ago

Is education in the north even free?I don't think so.They might not pay as much as in the south but they pay fees. Mensah should have done more research before writing this gibberish.

Is education in the north even free?I don't think so.They might not pay as much as in the south but they pay fees. Mensah should have done more research before writing this gibberish.
USMAN 10 years ago

The cocoa scholarship was not for all southerners but rather for wards of cocoa farmers. Please, be factual.

The cocoa scholarship was not for all southerners but rather for wards of cocoa farmers. Please, be factual.
Seinu 10 years ago

The children of those who toiled the cocoa farms enjoyed none of the cocoa scholarship and their parents were the one's toiling the ground,. Why was the cocoa scholarship not extended to the poor laborers too? nonsense

The children of those who toiled the cocoa farms enjoyed none of the cocoa scholarship and their parents were the one's toiling the ground,. Why was the cocoa scholarship not extended to the poor laborers too? nonsense
USMAN 10 years ago

Why did'nt you mention the descendants of Tetteh Quashie who brought cocoa to Ghana? I believe there is a reason for making the cocoa scholarship as it is,pls.

Why did'nt you mention the descendants of Tetteh Quashie who brought cocoa to Ghana? I believe there is a reason for making the cocoa scholarship as it is,pls.
Dr. Owusu 10 years ago

John please ponder over the big picture. You may be narrow.

John please ponder over the big picture. You may be narrow.
Balang 10 years ago

I'm a bit confused with ur percentage calculations. Review it and come clear. U started well though!

I'm a bit confused with ur percentage calculations. Review it and come clear. U started well though!
Nation builder 10 years ago

We all deserve equal right to education. The time has really come for the fair share of the free-education policy to every part of the country.

We all deserve equal right to education. The time has really come for the fair share of the free-education policy to every part of the country.
Dr. Ali 10 years ago

At least someone watching. Other places needs free education too.

At least someone watching. Other places needs free education too.
Adams 10 years ago

Your ancestors enjoyed free education cum free northern labor which trickled down to you today. No wonder you are surprise the north is progressing so fast despite their limitations. Envy anaaa???

Your ancestors enjoyed free education cum free northern labor which trickled down to you today. No wonder you are surprise the north is progressing so fast despite their limitations. Envy anaaa???

BOY KOFI 10 years ago

Free education was not only for the Northern Ghana.We also had free education everywhere except that it was elementary level.Here is where we need specification.Does the free education in the North maybe covers Secondary Scho ...
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Free education was not only for the Northern Ghana.We also had free education everywhere except that it was elementary level.Here is where we need specification.Does the free education in the North maybe covers Secondary School level where the other areas do not?As for the University level,I know it was free for all students in the country.In all this,Nkrumah made education free after certain considerations.I remember when I was admitted in class one in 1959 at Sekondi Catholic Boys School,my parents paid school fees and bought books for me.It was a year or two later that we were told that govt has made elementary education free including books.That alone collasped the business of bookshops in the town.In my opinion,if the govt of the day can make Secondary education free for the poor families then they should put Administrative measures in place that will oblige every adult to declare his yearly revenue.That means govt must find a way to reach every adult citizen with Fiscal Forms to be completed so that we can help those who really need the scheme.Thank you.
Solo 10 years ago

When in doubt keep quiet or risk opening your mouth and clearing all doubt that indeed you re ignorant. That s what just happened?

Who told this lazy researcher that there is free education in the North? A common sample ...
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When in doubt keep quiet or risk opening your mouth and clearing all doubt that indeed you re ignorant. That s what just happened?

Who told this lazy researcher that there is free education in the North? A common sample of a few (Govt) not private schools and a tabulation of fees students pay would have helped this guy. He chose to sit on his lazy chair and write thrash!
Dr. Ali 10 years ago

You are rather ignorant

You are rather ignorant
TEE 10 years ago

WELL INSTEAD OF GOING TO SCHOOL WE WERE THROWING BOMBS AGAINST KWAME NKRUMAH. EVEN WE WERE INSULTING HIM. NOW WHOM TO BLAME, OUR FATHERS OR EDUCATION PERIOD

WELL INSTEAD OF GOING TO SCHOOL WE WERE THROWING BOMBS AGAINST KWAME NKRUMAH. EVEN WE WERE INSULTING HIM. NOW WHOM TO BLAME, OUR FATHERS OR EDUCATION PERIOD
TEE 10 years ago

ASK WHAT HAPPENED, WE WERE FARMING YES YES FARMING NOT SCHOOLING

ASK WHAT HAPPENED, WE WERE FARMING YES YES FARMING NOT SCHOOLING
USMAN 10 years ago

95% of all Muslims who observe the annual Hajj pilgrimage are from northern Ghana paying as much as $4000. So the question is are northerners really poor. Also imagine a typical northern man with four wives servicing all of t ...
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95% of all Muslims who observe the annual Hajj pilgrimage are from northern Ghana paying as much as $4000. So the question is are northerners really poor. Also imagine a typical northern man with four wives servicing all of them equally. Where on earth will he get the strength to do any hard work. You see, the northern beggarly mentality was acquired through foreign religious culture. The two predominant religions in the north is Catholicism and Islam. Whilst Islam inspires begging, Catholicism showered a lot freebies like pito and tobacco on their congregation in order to always encourage them to attend church in olden days. So you see, an average northerner is always looking up expecting some freebies from above. This is why after 57years of free education northerners still believe they are poor.
NA 10 years ago

Some of these people might have spent years saving this money.You comments are damning. You do not have facts nor clues for your comments. The author has no clue of the facts neither.

Some of these people might have spent years saving this money.You comments are damning. You do not have facts nor clues for your comments. The author has no clue of the facts neither.
USMAN 10 years ago

Hajj is for those who have enough to feed and educate their wards.

Hajj is for those who have enough to feed and educate their wards.
Musa 10 years ago

This is refreshing in deed. I am a product of the system and i think its over due.

Thanks

This is refreshing in deed. I am a product of the system and i think its over due.

Thanks
Adams 10 years ago

You are a typical southerner. jealous. We know how northerners sound get off

You are a typical southerner. jealous. We know how northerners sound get off

Mustapha Nigeria 10 years ago

We do not have this in Nigeria. In this days and age. Nothing is free. May be its oil money.

We do not have this in Nigeria. In this days and age. Nothing is free. May be its oil money.
Stephen 10 years ago

Yes, the system needs to be re-evaluated
and extended throughout Ghana not for a particular region or tribe, but for all those families that cannot even put food on table.

Yes, the system needs to be re-evaluated
and extended throughout Ghana not for a particular region or tribe, but for all those families that cannot even put food on table.
Dr. Owusu 10 years ago

For nation building we need to be open and discuss issues while being fair. It is one way we can develop.

Thanks to Dr. Anim and Jackie.

For nation building we need to be open and discuss issues while being fair. It is one way we can develop.

Thanks to Dr. Anim and Jackie.
Stephen 10 years ago

Yes, the system needs to be re-evaluated
and extended throughout Ghana not for a particular region or tribe, but for all those families that cannot even put food on the table.

Yes, the system needs to be re-evaluated
and extended throughout Ghana not for a particular region or tribe, but for all those families that cannot even put food on the table.
Kantom 10 years ago

They appear to be well educated based on their purported educational achievements. However, their reasoning is very sad.

THERE IS NO FREE EDUCATION IN THE NORTHERN REGION.

Are the Anim's leaving on Mars. There is no fre ...
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They appear to be well educated based on their purported educational achievements. However, their reasoning is very sad.

THERE IS NO FREE EDUCATION IN THE NORTHERN REGION.

Are the Anim's leaving on Mars. There is no free education anywhere in Ghana.

Do your research before you resurface with this crab!
ANGEL 8 years ago

One of you (authors) claim to have PhD., yet your submissions are seriously flawed. First if you are writing about post-colonial policy of free education, it was not only for northern region (of Ghana). In fact that Scholars ...
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One of you (authors) claim to have PhD., yet your submissions are seriously flawed. First if you are writing about post-colonial policy of free education, it was not only for northern region (of Ghana). In fact that Scholarship Scheme is not meant for northern tribes as you portray in your write-up. The scholarship scheme is tied to schools located in the Northern not tribes in the North.
If a student from the southern part of Ghana attends a school located in the North, he or she pays what the school charges. The schools in the North do not charge different fees for different tribes.
You should bow your heads in shame!! Your knowledge of the northern part of Ghana is too poor for you to write such a piece!

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Review and Re-Evaluate the Northern Region Free Education

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