Views such as 'Nana Addo has given us Free SHS' most silliest I can ever imagine — Prof Kobby Mensah

Ghanaian political analyst has described claims by some Ghanaians that President Nana Akufo-Addo has "given" them free Senior High School as "the silliest" view.

Kobby Mensah, an associate professor of political marketing at the University of Ghana Business School, expressed this view in a recent social media post.

Prof. Mensah claims such expressions show how low the expectations Ghanaians have about their politicians and how easily impressed they are.

In the post on Facebook, Prof. Mensah writes "Ghanaians are the most low-maintenance anywhere in the world. They are the least demanding of politicians. Always thinking politicians are doing them a favour, especially those in the villages."

He added: "Views such as 'Nana Addo has given us Free SHS' is the silliest I can ever imagine."

Implementation of the Free SHS programme began in September 2017, targeting first-year students in public Senior High Schools and Technical/Vocational Institutions.

Importantly, any Ghanaian child placed in a public second-cycle institution through the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) during the 2017 school placement process was entitled to benefit from the Free SHS initiative.

“The impact of the programme is evident. To date, a total of over GH¢ 9.9 billion has been spent on the programme and a cumulative total of 5.7 million young people have benefitted from this initiative, many of whom may not have had this opportunity,” Finance Minister Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam said in his mid-year budget review presentation.