Mahama Doesn't Understand 'Free SHS' – Dr Adutwum

The Deputy Minister of Education, Hon. Osei Yaw Adutwum, said former President John Mahama decision to abolish the double-track system of the Free Senior High School policy has exposed his lack of understanding of the 'Free SHS' policy.

He said the former president needs tutorials on the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagship programme to shape his utterances of the policy that has reduced congestions at the various schools, and at the same time, increasing enrolments.

The deputy minister, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bosomtwe constituency in the Ashanti region, said this on Monday, August 19, 2019, on Otec FM’s political talk shows, ‘Dwabrem’, hosted by Agya Owusu Ansah.

He said utterances of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer clearly shows he has no grasp of the free senior high school concept adding that scrapping the double-track system will mean destroying the very foundation of the free SHS programme.

Former President Mahama a few weeks ago hinted on how he will review the free SHS policy in order to remove what he describes as ‘bottlenecks’, like congestions at the schools, in the implementation of the policy if voted into power.

Recently at the 27th Annual Presidential delegates’ congress of the Ghana National Union of Technical Students in Kumasi, former President Mahama said he will not cancel the policy, but rather, will engage stakeholders to fix the bottlenecks of the policy.

But the deputy minister said “former president comments have exposed his hypocrisy and lack of knowledge on matters concerning education.

The double-tracking has reduced congestions at the classrooms and dining halls. Classrooms with seventy students now have forty-five, so when did it become congestion?” he asked.

“The former president is jealous of the exploits of the NPP on the implementation of free secondary education, which has allowed more students to benefit than his reign. He prayed doom for the policy at its implementation but now he commending, clearly showing his hypocrisy,” he added.

“When he was the vice president and president, why didn’t he engage in stakeholders on the way forward on the free senior high school policy? He can’t do it, he has no knowledge on the policy and he is not ready to be educated on it. He just wants to trick the electorates to score political votes,” he warned

. “He needs someone to educate him on the policy to enable him express his views well,” the legislator advised.