The Nonsense of John Mahama’s Free SHS

Since the day John Mahama laid claim to initiating the Free SHS in Ghana, I have tried to avoid the temptation to join this Free SHS debate but everywhere I pass on social media I meet discordant voices of my NDC friends most of whom unfortunately very educated amplifying the dishonourably shameful voice of John Mahama on the subject matter of Free SHS. Permit me to share my simple view on the debate

In September 2015, Former President John Mahama launched a so-called Progressively Free Senior High School policy in Otuam, the hometown of Prof. Mills in the Central region with the aim to absorb fees for Day students. 320,000 day students across the country were expected to benefit from the policy at a cost of GHS 12.2 million.

I have heard some people argue that kind of Free SHS introduced by John Mahama is different from that of Nana Addo’s. They justify this by arguing that John Mahama made SHS free for Day students while Nana Addo made SHS free for everybody. I want to submit that JOHN MAHAMA NEVER PROVIDED FREE SHS TO A SINGLE DAY STUDENT IN 2015. Yes, you heard me. Not a single Day Student enjoyed Free SHS under incompetent John Mahama. Let me prove it to you.

The GES approved fee for Fresh (1^st year) Day students in 2015 was *GHC 355.00* whiles fees for continuing (forms 2 & 3) students was GHc73.00 per term. It must be noted that the fees schedule for continuing students did not include PTA dues, National Science and Mathematics quiz dues, science development fee and other ancillary fees. I am going to demonstrate to you the deficiency of Mahama’s claim using two simple scenarios.

1^st Scenario

Let’s assume that the fees for each of the 320,000 day students was Ghc73.00

GHC 12, 200,000 ÷ 320,000 Students will give you GHC 38.125

This means that the GHc 12.2 million could not make SHS free for all Day Students since *Ghc38.125* could not have been enough to pay the GHC 73.00 fees to make it free

2^nd Scenario

Let’s assume that Mahama’s so called free SHS initially took care of only 1^st year Day students just like Nana Addo’s Free SHS.

Fees for fresh/1^st Year Day students - *GHc 355.00*

Fees for continuing students (forms 2 & 3) - *GHC 73.00*

Again, let’s assume that the first year or fresh students constitute *one third* of the students although we know based on statistics that the first year students are always more.

Therefore 1/3 of 320,000 students will be *106,667 students*

It means GHC 12,200,000 ÷ 106,667 students will give you *GHC 114.37*.

This means that the 12.2 million could not even pay for half of the fees for only 1^st year Day students.

In the face of these facts, Mr. John Mahama has the temerity, the impudence, the effrontery and the nerve (in the voice of Ken Agyapong) to insult Ghanaians that he initiated free SHS.

The NDCs claim of initiating Free SHS is only good for arousing their propaganda libido. I have no doubt the percentage of votes for the NDC will reduce at least by 3% because of this recent lie told by John Mahama about Free SHS. By the way, Free SHS costs over GHC 2 billion a year so if Mahama says he started free SHS with GHC 12.2 million, know him for who he is, an incompetent unrepentant liar.

Vote #1

Vote 4 more 4 Nana

*James Mckeown*

*NPP Finland*