Van Vicker
Actor Van Vicker has praised President Akufo-Addo’s Free Senior High School (SHS) policy but says his comment shouldn’t be tagged as a “political statement.”
The Free SHS policy was a major decider in the 2016 general elections after many including the then John Mahama administration doubted that Akufo-Addo could execute the policy if he was voted into power.
After winning the election, Akufo-Addo made sure the policy came to fruition, giving opportunity to every junior high student to get senior high school education.
It appears the policy will again play an integral role in who wins the 2020 elections.
Van Vicker in an Instagram post on Tuesday said Free SHS is not yet a perfect system but described it as an incredible policy to aid the plight of persons who can’t afford to pay for secondary school education.
He shared a picture of President Akufo-Addo and his Vice-President Bawumia when they launched the policy and wrote: “This is NOT A POLITICAL STATEMENT.
“My name is Van Vicker, an actor, a filmmaker, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, a businessman, etc and I want to call a spade a spade.
“The FREE SHS programme has enabled hundreds of thousands of Ghanaian youth to further their education.
“It is not a perfect system (yet) but for the fact that a SHS student dropout can return to the classroom or for the fact that a JHS student can continue his/her secondary education for FREE is incredible. I put a premium on education FOR ALL.”
“MY STORY: I would have enrolled at the university back in 1996 IF THE FREE SHS PROGRAMME EXISTED, unfortunately it didn’t. My secondary education expenses depleted mama’s savings so I kissed my dream of being a gynecologist good bye. My narration today is not to say I regret my current profession but rather to unequivocally state that THE FREE SHS PROGRAMME BENEFITS OUR YOUTH and only if it was implemented back in my day, my mother would have SAVED enough to eventually fund my tertiary education.
THIS IS NOT A POLITICAL STATEMENT. IT IS MY EMPIRISIM,” he added, saying long live Democracy, Free SHS and Ghana.