Free SHS quality has declined under Mahama gov't — Haruna Mohammed

A Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Haruna Mohammed, has criticised the implementation of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme under the current government.

He argued that the quality of support provided to students under the programme has declined compared to what was available under the administration of former President Nana Akufo-Addo.

Speaking on Accra-based Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily show on Wednesday, September 9, the opposition party's deputy scribe said his experience as a parent informed his assessment of the programme.

“When I sent my second born last year to the same school, we were made to bring our own uniforms from the house. A lot of things that we had to purchase on our own and all that,” he said.

“The Free Senior High School under His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo is not the same thing under this government,” he stressed.

According to him, students under the Akufo-Addo administration were provided with school uniforms, books and other logistics upon admission, in addition to items brought from home.

He also raised concerns about reported shortages of food in some senior high schools and the quality of meals provided to students.

The NPP official also noted that promises by the government to address some of the challenges associated with Free SHS had yet to be fully delivered.

He further criticised the government over its handling of the double-track system, arguing that the NDC had promised during the 2024 election campaign to abolish it within a year.