Keeping The NPP In Power - Surest Way Of Sustaining The FREE SHS Policy

The real intention of members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to have an illiterate population for their electoral expediency was brought to bare during their so-called "Unity Walk" held in Tamale recently. Ironically, leading the crusade were some of the very people who had been beneficiaries of government bursaries, scholarships, and the Northern Scholarship Scheme.

For reasons best known to them, the NDC have vigorously kicked against the free SHS concept since the idea was mooted by Nana Akufo-Addo in 2008. The 35 series of negative advertisements in the mass media, coupled with certain pronouncements by NDC supporters, no doubt, underscore their abhorrence to the policy. Their actions, however, point to one reason; the free SHS policy has become a political albatross on their neck.

Whilst the head porters, truck pushers, market women, students, the BBC, African Union etc have all hailed the NPP government for removing a major barrier to education and for that matter, poverty, illiteracy and disease, these group of people who think alike are wondering how an 'old president' could outperform a 'youthful president' within this shortest space of time.

Not even the discovery of oil, the contraction of loans, payment of dubious judgement debts, corrupt deals, and the money splashed on their fruitless electioneering campaign - free distribution of V8 to some chiefs, Akua Donkor etc could convince them of the possibility of the programme.

Today, without a shred of shame, the NDC members have turned around to demand a full coverage of the policy for all senior high school students. What is more annoying is the commentary they are running on the sustainability of the programme.

But, when did the NDC come to the realisation that, the economy of Ghana is good enough to provide free SHS for all students let alone sustain it? Did NDC lay a blueprint for the Progressively Free SHS they claimed to have introduced two years ago?

For me, the NDC must be told in plain terms that they have no moral right to question the sustainability of the programme. The free SHS covers only first year students since the forms one and two are already benefitting from their Progressively Free SHS concept. If the current programme were to take a retrospective effect, then those of us who completed secondary schools several years could have availed ourselves of the opportunity.

The NPP will never turn to a group of people who are bereft with ideas of managing economic resources and social interventions. The very Lord who fought the NPP's battle for Victory 2016; the God who gave President Akufo-Addo the wisdom to remove this financial burden of parents, and the Allah who has guided him to implement other policies like "Planting for Food and Jobs" and "One District-One Factory" policy, "National Identification Programme" within eight months would never abandon His son. He would continue to guide and see him through any difficult period.

The secret about sustaining the free SHS policy is simple; keep the NPP in power for long. For, the longer the NPP stays in power, the better for all programmes - NHIA, school feeding, mass cocoa spraying, youth employment, masloc, and free SHS programmes to be sustained.

God bless Ghana! God bless the NPP!! God bless Nana Addo!!!

Katakyie Kwame Opoku Agyemang
Asante Bekwai-Asakyiri
"Vision, coupled with persistency, results in true success"