By Amos SAFO
Ghana’s political scene is getting intriguing and interesting as free secondary schooltakes center stage in the race by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and opposition National Democratic Party (NDC) to win the hearts of the electorate. The question on the minds of many Ghanaians, is who owes free SHS policy?
Debate on the policy heightened two weeks ago when the ex-president John Dramani Mahama, the perennial presidential candidate of NDC organized a mid-night press conference; in which he put on a brave face and claimed to have launched the free SHS policy.
Research
I have gathered that what triggered John Mahama claims for free SHS emerged from a research the NDC commissioned to find out factors that could influence the voting pattern in the 2024 election. According to some commentators, respondents of the study were asked to identify which of the NPP’s flagship policies could influence them to vote for its candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia?
The findings were an overwhelming endorsement of free SHS as a factor that will influence the voting pattern. In other words, many Ghanaians- young and old will vote for the NPP’s presidential and parliamentary candidates based on free SHS. This indicates that Ghanaians believe that with its teething problems and implementation challenges, the policy is significant to the future development of the country. Based on this notion many respondents were clear that without the NPP in power free SHS will be abolished. On the contrary, the respondents were not sure if NDC will sustain the policy when voted to power.
This probably compelled ex-president Mahama to put on a brave face to claim free SHS. In fact, if free SHS will determine the election outcome in 2024, as it did in 2016 and 2020, the nomination of Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh as running mate to Dr. Bawumia is an added impetus for NPP. This is because for many parents and beneficiaries of free SHS, Dr. Prempeh is as significant as the policy because of the boldness with which he implemented the policy.
Press conference
In his recent press conference, ex-president Mahama claimed that he launched the free SHS. His comments caused dismay on the faces of some NDC MPs present. Mr. Mahama’s claims came against the backdrop of persistent opposition against the policy both as president and an ex-president. In fact, many, if not all NDC bigwigs have taken turns to discredit the policy since 2008 when then candidate of NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo introduced it as a policy option.
In one of his famous tantrums against free SHS policy, John Mahama declared that “Ghana must not implement free SHS on the whimsical promise of a desperate politician. A lot of mistakes have been made by some countries in Africa that implemented free SHS.” However, Mr. Mahama stopped short of naming the countries that made the mistakes in implementing free SHS, and perhaps, got away with that false claim. On the contrary, countries like Kenya, Rwanda among others sent delegations to Ghana to understudy its implementation.
Still on his press conference, Mr. Mahama claimed that because he implemented free SHS, then presidential candidate of NPP, Akufo-Addo lauded him for implementing the policy in 2014. However, a critical analysis of the online news item cited by Mr. Mahama indicated that Akufo-Addo made a conditional remark that if indeed Mr. Mahama had changed its mind on free SHS and planned to implement it, then it is good news for Ghana and should be welcomed. This did not amount to praising him for introducing the policy.
Aspirational
Realistically announcing plans to implement the policy was just an aspirational and unless implemented nobody can hold the announcer responsible. Not surprisingly, in 2015 when parents expected the commencement of free SHS they were shocked when they received school fee bills of their wards. Furthermore, in 2016, students from purely day schools such as St. Aquinas, Accra High and West Africa senior schools billed their students to the surprise of parents.
In principle there are two definitions-one called progressively free SHS based on days schools by NDC, and the universal policy that by the NPP. With hindsight, progressively free SHS, which Mahama launched in 2015, with fee paying is clearly different from the universal and inclusive policy implement by NPP. While day students under progressively free paid fees, students of free SHS do not pay fees.
As indicated earlier the flagbearer of the NDC and the NDC as a political party have never endorsed free SHS. Hitherto, the ex-president, while he was president in 2012 and 2016 bastardised, discredited and poured cold water on the free SHS policy. In the most recent case of Mr. Mahama’s opposition to the policy discredited the high success rate of the free SHS candidates in 2023, alleging that the government connived with the West Africa Examination Council and leaked the questions to the students.
Rawlings advised
As far back as 2012 the founder of NDC and late former President Jerry John Rawlings admonished John Mahama to take a bold step to implement free SH, else if NPP comes to power and implements the policy, it will hunt the NDC in subsequent elections. According to Rawlings, though Mahama won the controversial 2012 elections, the free SHS policy won the election campaign of 2012. Judging from the current development, it appears Rawlings’ prediction has been fulfilled given the haste and desperation of John Mahama and NDC to be associated with the policy. I have witnessed political campaigns and speeches, examined party manifestoes of 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020, and at no point did it emerge that NDC had the intension to implement free SHS in its current form.
Things are simply not adding up for the NDC and its flagbearer. How could a party that claims to have launched free SHS in 2015 organise demonstrations and sponsored more than 30 advertisements in the media against it in 2016. While there is no doubt that John Mahama introduced progressively free SHS, the ongoing universal free SHS was launched and implemented by the NPP and the Akufo-Addo administration. To be honest, the two policies are not the same. John Mahama claimed that his approach was to provide more infrastructure to absorb more students. This justifies why he started with days schools. In fact, evidence suggests that students of day schools continued to pay fees until 2017 when the policy was launched.
Party bigwigs
Unfortunately, I heard Sammy Gyamfi, NDC’s communications on Joy News programme denying that the NDC ever criticized free SHS. Between 2008 and 2020 Ghanaians heard the insults and claims that free SHS was a major cause of teenage pregnancy among the youth. Though this defies logic, NDC functionaries continued to peddle it until today when they are now claiming it as their baby. Ghanaians also heard ex-president Mahama at a political rally at Odoben Brakwa state that the food his dogs eat is better than what free SHS students eat.
Furthermore, in one his infamous tantrums against free SHS, John Mahama asked his audience a rhetorical question, “if you had two billion cedis to spend, will you spend all on free SHS”? His audience, most of whose children probably benefitted from free SHS shouted “noooooo” to his delight. John Mahama continued, “Ghana must not implement free SHS on the whimsical promise of a desperate politician.” So, what has changed?
In previous political discourse the NDC’s bigwigs had proclaimed from the rooftop that a free universal SHS is not possible now and can only to be feasible in 20 years. The late Lee Ocran, the former minister of education proclaimed that if universal free SHS was possible Kwame Nkrumah would have implemented it nationwide. Rather Kwame Nkrumah piloted it in the northern regions. Quite recently, Felix Ofosu Kwakye, an aid to ex-president Mahama described free SHS as a scam, and nothing but a political gimmick, which does not make sense. Similarly, Fiifi Kwetey, the current General Secretary of NDC had earlier described the policy as 419. How can this group of people suddenly turn 360 degrees and claim free SHS as their baby.
Insults
Given the barrage of insults and pessimism by both NDC and some NPP members that free SHS was utopian and impossible, President Akufo- Addo could easily have abandoned it; in which case there would be no war over its ownership today. It appears that John Mahama is now more desperate to claim free SHS than his previous description of Akufo-Addo as a desperate politician.
Against the backdrop of the incessant attacks on the free SHS by NDC, many Ghanaians think the ex-president and his communicators are dishonest and cannot be trusted to sustain the policy.
This, perhaps, explains why NDC MPs are refusing to support the free SHS Bill. Could their attitude be attributed to their unwillingness to legitimize a policy they hate? Certainly, NDC will not want to be compelled to implement a policy they are opposed to should they come to power. May God bless our homeland, Ghana.
