‘NDC only opposed NPP's wholesale free SHS approach, not the policy’ — Sammy Gyamfi to Manasseh Azure

Sammy Gyamfi, National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC)

The National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi has clarified that the party was against the implementation approach of the governing NPP and not the free Senior High School policy itself.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, July 16, investigative journalist Manasseh Azure refuted NDC’s claim that it started the free SHS policy.

According to the Fourth Estate editor-in-chief, the opposition party is on record to have consistently opposed the policy since President Akufo-Addo first made the promise in 2008.

However, in a lengthy response to Manasseh Azure's post, Sammy Gyamfi wrote "The main point of disagreement between the NDC and NPP on the free SHS debate was on the issue of implementation approach.

“Whereas the NPP advocated for a wholesale implementation approach, the NDC advocated for a progressive implementation approach, while equally prioritizing access and quality."

He explained that the NDC under John Mahama launched progressively free SHS in 2015, which was commended by UNESCO and Nana Akufo-Addo himself.

“In September 2015, H.E. John Dramani Mahama launched progressively free SHS, as had been canvassed by the NDC all along," he noted.

The NDC communicator further provided evidence from official documents and the 2017 budget to back claims that the Mahama administration initiated and funded progressively free SHS before the NPP took over.

The debate about the implementation of the policy came amid accusations from the governing party that the NDC will scrap free SHS should it win the upcoming general elections.

Speaking to journalists at his media engagement on Sunday, July 7, Mr. Mahama noted that he can not cancel a policy he introduced.