Bawumia Accuses NDC Government of Running Down Free SHS, Says Policy Is ‘Suffering’

The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has taken aim at the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government over what he describes as the declining state of the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme.

According to Dr Bawumia, the policy—one of the NPP’s flagship social interventions—has deteriorated under the current administration, particularly in the areas of student feeding and equitable access.

“Free Senior High School is suffering under the NDC. After they promised to improve meals for students, today it has deteriorated,” he said.

Dr Bawumia made the remarks at the NPP’s National Delegates Conference held at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi on October 3, 2026.

He also criticised the government’s handling of Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) placements, alleging that some qualified graduates are being excluded from the Free SHS programme, leaving parents frustrated.

Dr Bawumia further accused the NDC of failing to honour its pledge to abolish the double-track system, which was introduced under the NPP to accommodate increased enrolment following the rollout of Free SHS.

He noted that although the NDC had vehemently criticised the double-track system, it had not delivered on its promise to scrap it.

“I believe many Ghanaians are not surprised by the way the NDC government is managing the Free SHS programme. They never believed in it. They bastardised it for years. They called it 419, election after election, until they realised its impact on every household in Ghana,” he said.

Dr Bawumia insisted that the programme would operate as originally intended if the NPP were in office.

“Free SHS would be truly functioning as intended if its initiator, the NPP, was in office,” he added.