Mr. President, our SHS so far

In my previous letter, Sir, I wrote about the tremendous relief that the free senior high school education policy has brought to our people. As I indicated, we all added a little of free service as teachers to ensure a smooth registration process. The people of my village have not stopped talking about it. Neither has their clapping gusto decreased since I last wrote to you.

Perhaps Mr. President, yourself may not be able to comprehend why they should be clapping for so long. It would be best to be around you to hear all what they have been saying. I am unable to tell whether they would ever stop the applauding. Perhaps the joy on their poor innocent old faces would last forever like the impact of a good education. As I said, they are still clapping for you.

Sir, while the clapping is going on, and after we have done registering our brothers and sisters into the schools except for a few who are yet to arrive, it would be prudent to tell you some few observations that the city dwellers are making. These observations however, I must say, are not intended to give an impression of ingratitude. We are all interested in it getting better here in our own house and in our own backyard.

We have realised that, because of the new program, many people, in fact everybody would love to be in the boarding house. As a consequence, our schools, I mean the boarding houses are becoming more populated than they were structured to be. A similar situation pertains in the classrooms too.

If I should talk about it now, it may contradict the joyful news that I bought from my village which I told you times again. Maybe this is the right time to praise your bitter rival of the opposition National Democratic Congress, I mean his former excellency John Mahama for the efforts his administration made towards expanding infrastructure in the educational sector.

Dear Sir, though I have been in conference with Socrates for some time now, I still think I haven't learned enough to stand in a position to give you a political lesson so I will say what I am saying like one who hasn't seen canned beef ( Conner beef) before. I believe in exposing those who are corrupt in our country and who are consuming the wealth of the nation.

I have often advocated the death sentence for those who sell state vehicles for prices that are less than the cost of a single car tyre. My friends would confirm to you that I have said they should be whipped in public under the full broadcast of national television.

But Sir, if after we have killed a rat for eating the harvest we find that the holes made by the rat have led to a gold mine, I think we should be bold enough to call our people and say to them 'here is one little thing that that rat has left behind'.

Please, I do not intend to call anyone a rat. It is only the manner of speaking that is common to us here. I believe it is good so to do to praise the little that the evil one leaves behind and to build upon it as we move faster on our way to the Second World.

Sir, I am sure you have by now seen all the pictures of students sitting in uncompleted structures and on benches as we were used to doing in the chapel until the invention of one man one seat, and the other pictures of students sleeping on floors. These are some of the challenges that have come with the beautiful program.

I haven't lost sight Sir, of the fact that some people have the intention of using the pictures to score political points and to denigrate the good intentions of the program. I have told our priest about it and we have all pleaded with him to pray for you so that you would not be discouraged by the challenges fronting us.
We have together been able to get a pot of palmwine for him to appeal to the ancestors to give you strength and wisdom so that you will solve the remaining problems. We are hopeful that in spite of their rising appetite for schnapps and whisky, the ancestors would accept the palmwine and grant our prayers.

But whiles we are praying for you, we would continue to bring to your attention all that we think should be done that ought to be done and which must be done for our people and our country.

Sir, I would like to remind you that you would have to consider recruiting more teachers to enable the program to succeed. Sir, yourself are aware that in the absence of teachers these children of our motherland would be wasting their lives away in the schools though you provide them three meals (I don't know if the meals are square or rectangular), and all things that they need.

I don't need to remind you Sir, that the University of Education in Winneba has been training graduate teachers as its mandate and has continued to do so, yet their learned graduates are not being given any attention. I hope you would not be thinking that I am biased towards my Alma mater.

Sir, you know my humble intentions would not allow me to be deceptive on this matter though I have other sins.

Sir, my thoughts are complicated and confused this morning so if you are unable to make much sense of this letter do not hesitate to say that in your reply. I must be sincere to say that you have not been doing well in writing a response to my letters.

I know you have much weightier things of the state governance on your mind but I'm tempted some times to think that you have not been given my letters. Sometimes I think like that not because I suspect any of your secretaries but it is from experience.

So please let me know how you feel about my letters and the matters they communicate. I send my letters through this means because they say in our village that if you want to say something to the gods, you say it into the air. You are a god now to me, and I must communicate with you so, since I don't know your postal address.

Sir, the sun from its golden bed rises and the horizon transcend and thy servant ought to the farm depart in honour of duty. Wherefore we shall meet when we meet.

The priest and the elders have asked me to add that the ancestors are willing to assist so those who beat the drum for the downfall of the man of the people would be disappointed.

Even if I do not sign this letter, you would still be able to tell from the incoherent thought that it is the writing of the son of a farmer and kenkey seller in the village of my village.