The Progressive People's Party was shocked and dismayed when the Honourable Minister for Information, Mr. Mahama Ayariga misinformed Ghanaians on JoyFM News analysis programme Newsfile. The Minister in his contribution to the debate on the policy of Free SHS stated that, it was Nana Akuffo-Addo who promised to implement “Free, Compulsory, and Universal Basic Education as contained in the 1992 Constitution.” We cannot allow this deliberate mischief by the Minister to pass without comment.

For the record, it was the PPP that campaigned vigorously to implement Article 38 (2) of the 1992 Constitution. We stated in our political platform that the PPP will “Ensure free and compulsory education in public schools from kindergarten to Senior High School (including computer training). We will deploy an Education Police to enforce the compulsory aspect of our policy.”

Nana Akuffo-Addo campaigned for “Free SHS”. The NPP never stated anywhere that they would pursue a policy of compulsory and universal basic education let alone “extent the policy to the SHS” as deliberately indicated by the Minister for Information. It is regrettable that the Minister of Information does not even know the policy options of the political parties in Ghana as far as the 2012 Presidential Elections were concerned.

It is a well-known fact that both the NPP and the NDC have failed to comply with a basic constitutional requirement on compulsory basic education for all our children and any attempt to play political game with the future of our children will be resisted by the Progressive People’s Party.
To this end, the PPP has instructed its lawyers to make an application to the Supreme Court for an interpretation and enforcement of Article 38 (2) of the 1992 Constitution on the policy of Free, Compulsory, and Universal Basic Education since the period of compulsory implementation has long elapsed. According to Article 38 (2) “The Government shall, within two years after Parliament first meets after the coming into force of this Constitution, draw up a programme for implementation within the following ten years, for the provision of free, compulsory and universal basic education.
The Minister should cross-check his facts and set the records straight with an apology for misinforming Ghanaians.

We are wide awake and watching.

Kofi Asamoah-Siaw
National Secretary