“I started the Free SHS policy in Ghana in 2015” says former President Mahama, and one would say very commendable, for our mothers have cried since independence that there should be a charitable head of state or a President, to do them the favour of making it possible for them to educate their children to High School level. I said our mothers because in Ghana, the only country in the world,which because of some traditional practices, most fathers do not care at all what would become of the CHILDREN they have brought into this world. It is our dear lovely, hardworking mothers who mostly bear the brunt of our futures. Therefore, it would be very nice to acclaim former President Mahama for doing this great feat for our mothers. Remember that this same former President is on record of having said Ghanaians have short memories, so it would have been a clear reminder to the over 30 million people in Ghana, not to forget and vote for the President in the coming elections for this laudable feat.

I decided to sieve the chaff from the grain and what I discovered make me wonder why the former President should be so careless to have said what he said. I checked through the Manifesto of the NDC for the years, 2008,2012 and the 2016. In all the three manifestos, the NDC is clear about FREE progressive SHS and that they would embark upon putting up structures until such a TIME that there would be enough classrooms,dormitories and other ancillary service, then they would begin the Progressive Free SHS. One may say then it would not be in our lifetime.

According to the current Minister of Education, the NDC promised, whilst in office from 2009 to 2016 to build 200 unit E Block Classrooms to be dotted all over the 275 Constituencies of Ghana. Records available to the Minister is that the NDC started ONLY 43 of such institutions and as they exited power in 2016, only 27 has been completed. Let us for argument sake credit them with the 43, so if it took them 8 years to build 43 school buildings, it would have taken the NDC, 37 years to complete the 200 schools for them to begin the Progressive free SHS. Which would mean, Ghana will have Progressive Free SHS in the year 2057.

Within Three years that President Akufo Addo started the Free SHS in 2017,a total of 1.5million pupils have gained admission. With the same information and holding all other things constant, it would mean that, under Mahama Progressive Free SHS, a total of 53million Ghanaians would be without SHS education as has been the case since 1993 the NDC, the first Party to use the 1992 Constitution.

Now coming back to the question of former President Mahama assertion that he brought free SHS into Ghana, we need to test that statement against the pronouncements of the NDC. Remember that President Akufo Addo had made this manifesto promise since 2008.

In 2012, Fiifi Kwertey not long ago a member of the NDC Economic Team and Deputy Finance Minister had said it was a hoax and that there is no way “Nana Addo can do it,it is 419”. The former President himself had said in 2016 that,It was a whimsical promise of a desperate politician looking for power. He went further to say if he had $2 billion to invest, he would not invest it on free SHS, he would do something else with that money. And there is a Video of the NDC embarking upon demonstration against the Free SHS in 2016, with the former president and his executives taking part.

The big Question? Who started the free SHS in Ghana? And when was it officially started? To answer these questions, let us look at the facts above and there is no doubt the Free SHS was launched on Tuesday 12th September, 2017 at the West Africa Senior High School premises at Adenta near Accra.Which means it was President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo.

Our Political leaders should give us a bit of respect because we are the kingmakers and in order for us to choose the right leader to lead us, we are looking for men and women with credibility,sincerity and honesty that it would be easier for us to have confidence in ourselves that we chose the right leaders. Your party does not rise up against a policy as sensitive as EDUCATION, the bedrock of society to the extent of going to the Supreme Court against it,protest against it and you wake up on morning to tell Ghanaians that you brought it to Ghana. Your Excellency former President Mahama you were very far from the truth big time.