NPP condemns NDC education policy

Koforidua (Eastern Region), 23rd July 99-

Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, Member of Parliament for Juaben has said government's educational policies were jeopardising the future of the youth.

Government polices are raising questions over the country's ability to effectively compete in the global village economy of the next millennium, Mr Owusu-Agyeman said at the inauguration of the Koforidua Polytechnic branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at Koforidua.

He said there was a "strong correlation between the sorry state of education" and the current levels of indiscipline, youth delinquency and the high crime wave.

Mr Owusu-Agyeman, minority spokesman on foreign affairs, said an NPP government would pay the highest possible attention to educational issues in order to enhance enrolment, teaching and learning from kindergarten up to the tertiary levels.

An NPP government will pursue an economic programme specifically intended to ensure rapid expansion of the economy and a fluid labour market with opportunities for the upgrading of skills to address the problem of youth unemployment.

"Ghanaians still have the potentials capable of achieving their academic, artistic and intellectual excellence provided the right environment and motivation is given", he said.

The MP said he was" shocked and scandalised" by recent media reports of threats by educational institutions in the United Kingdom to withdraw recognition of degrees from Ghanaian universities.

"If this threat is carried through, it would devalue our degrees to the level of High school certificates".

The MP for Offinso North, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, was critical of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government's economic policies.

He said with the level of foreign assistance pouring into the country over the past 20 years at an average of 800 million dollars a year, Ghana should have been recording over eight per cent growth in her annual Gross Domestic Product and not four per cent.

He said it was on the basis of the expected eight per cent growth that "Ghana's Vision 2020" was forecast to make the country a middle-level economy.

"At the current performance of the economy, it is unlikely that the projections in Vision 2020 can be attained."

Dr Apraku, also minority spokesman on finance, called on the youth to reject the NDC and give the NPP their support to enable it to turn round the economy within four years of administration.

He charged the NDC government with corruption, mismanagement, incompetence, making fraud a national culture, adding that "the enemy in Ghana today is the NDC government."

Ms Christine Churcher, MP for Cape Coast, speaking on "Women in Politics", referred to the high cost of education and health services.

She said the time had come for women to get actively involved in politics in order to help remove the present government to enhance good living.

"Women have been too long in assuming the front role of national politics in order to add the human touch in the formulation of policies", she said and blamed the unemployment problem facing the country on the bad policies of the government.

Mr Yaw Barimah, MP for Koforidua, who presided, regretted that the policies of the government had turned the once Gold Coast into a poverty coast."

He charged the youth to respond to calls to join the NPP to enable the party to win victory the next general elections in order to change Ghana's fortunes.

GRi?/