I didn't support my government buying past questions for students - Kwabena Agyepong

NPP flagbearer hopeful Kwabena Agyei Agyepong has criticised the previous government’s decision to use public funds to purchase past examination questions for students.

According to him, he was not in support of the former government’s decision, describing the move as difficult to understand.

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Speaking in an interview on Kessben FM, Kwabena Agyepong indicated that he was surprised by the policy, even though he was not part of the government at the time.

“With the issue of the past government spending money to buy past questions for students during our time, though I wasn’t part of the government, I couldn’t believe it. Why would you use government money to purchase past questions to be distributed to students?” he quizzed.

He noted that as has been the norm in the past, students had taken personal responsibility for acquiring past questions and argued that the use of state resources for such a purpose was unnecessary.

“Even in the past, it was the students that went searching for their own past questions,” he stated.

Agyapong said the decision was one of several mistakes made by the former New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, stressing the need for political actors to acknowledge wrongdoing, even within their own parties.

According to him, party loyalty should not override accountability and good governance.

“A lot of mistakes were made in the past. Many people think that because you are a member of the party, you cannot speak up when things are wrong. There are certain red lines you shouldn’t cross because you have to be loyal to your tradition but when things are bad, you can publicly speak up and doing so doesn’t mean you aren’t a patriot,” he added.

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The presidential aspirant’s remarks follow revelations that in 2020, the state paid over GH¢68.5 million to a supplier for materials distributed to SHS students ahead of the 2021 West African Senior High School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

The revelation sparked public scrutiny and criticisms against the then NPP government.

MAG/AE

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