Free SHS is laughable, most ridiculous of all promises in Ghana's history - Haruna Iddrisu

Haruna Iddrisu

The Communications Minister and Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu has described the New Patriotic Party's (NPP's) promise to provide free Senior High School education if they they win the upcoming elections as the most ridiculous of all promises ever made in Ghana's history.

Haruna Iddrissu said limiting Ghana's problems to free SHS is a danger to Ghana's quest for all round development.

The New Patriotic Party's campaign has been largely hinged on providing free education at the Senior High School level and the party intends to fund the policy through the use of revenues from Ghana's oil.

But to the Communications Minister, that promise is laughable.

He said NPP flagbearer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his party lack an understanding of basic education.

“You cannot even say that you are extending basic education to Senior High School. There's a paradigm shift, a difference, substantial between what is basic and what is high school.

“…They say oil resources; you cannot commit oil resources only to education. That's incongruous with the provisions of the revenue act which identifies four major areas of investments of our oil resources…”

He said there are many other challenges confronting the nation in terms of infrastructure, healthcare and others.

“I'm minded to think sometimes we exaggerate how much we get from oil,” the minister stated.