President Nana Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has publicly criticized former President John Dramani Mahama over claims that he initiated the free senior high school (SHS) policy in Ghana.
The backlash from President Akufo-Addo comes after Mr. Mahama stated at a recent media engagement that he started the Free SHS initiative, countering allegations that he was opposed to the program.
President Akufo-Addo refuted these assertions by recalling previous comments made by Mr. Mahama, where the ex-president had allegedly mentioned that he would not prioritize investing in Free SHS if given two billion Cedis, opting instead for other projects.
Expressing astonishment at Mr. Mahama’s recent remarks, President Akufo-Addo highlighted the contradiction between the former president’s past stance and his current claim of initiating the educational policy.
He remarked, “Recently you heard [John Mahama] saying he brought Free SHS, this is shocking because he was the one who said if he had two billion he would invest in another project, not free SHS.”
In response to the assertion that he laid the groundwork for Free SHS during his tenure, Mr. Mahama reiterated his support for any education-focused policies that enhance access to quality education for Ghanaian children.
At the heart of his stance is the belief that education plays a vital role in national development and should be continually improved upon.
President Akufo-Addo concluded by suggesting that Mr. Mahama should rather commend his administration for implementing the Free SHS policy successfully, emphasizing the transformative impact it has had on education accessibility and quality across the country.
By Vincent Kubi