Free SHS: Only a certain lawyer understands 'review' to mean 'abolish' - Mahama

Former President John Mahama has descended on his critics who are suggesting that he wants to scrap the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy introduced by the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) should he be re-elected in the 2020 polls. Mr Mahama had suggested in the past that he will superintend a review of the policy introduced by the Akufo-Addo administration if he wins the 2020 elections but that was interpreted by his rivals in the governing party to mean he would scrap it.

Speaking on the matter at a meeting with party leaders and supporters in the UK, Mr Mahama, who is the flag bearer of the main opposition NDC, reiterated: “So, we say when we come, we will review the implementation and it is only some lawyer’s understanding that ‘review’ means ‘abolishing’”.

Mr Mahama emphasised that reviews, monitoring and evaluation are important aspects of every government policy.

He said after the implementation of programmes and projects, the government needs to re-examine them and fix whatever problems there may be with it.

“And, obviously, in the Free SHS, a lot of things are not working. The double-track alone shows that there is something wrong,” Mr Mahama observed.

He continued: “I said we will hold a stakeholders conference and all of that, we will look at what is working and what is not working and we will correct what is not working so that we can have a proper implementation to the satisfaction of the parents and to the satisfaction of the students and the teachers”.

To buttress his argument, Mr Mahama cited some personalities in the NPP who have had issues with the rushed implementation of the SHS policy, including, he said, former Defence Minister Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, who is a junior brother of former President John Agyekum Kufuor.

Mr Mahama also recalled some comments made by Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta with which he suggested that the nondiscriminatory implementation of the Free SHS programme is putting pressure on the government’s coffers.

Mr Mahama also criticised the Akufo-Addo government for neglecting projects started by his administration, describing it as “a waste of the taxpayers’ money”.

He said some 200 Day Community senior high schools which are at various advanced stages of completion have been abandoned by the Akufo-Addo government, even though there was the anticipation that the introduction of the Free SHS programme will cause an upsurge in enrolment.

This, he said, has resulted in overcrowding in some schools who are struggling with enough classrooms, dining halls, dormitories and other facilities, thus, leading to the introduction of the double-track system.

Students, Mr Mahama said, are compelled to “stay home for three months at a stretch” due to the double-track system.

He believes the day school project could have provided enough space for more than 200,000 pupils, yet the government has decided to abandon those projects.