Kumasipioneer.com Truth l Accuracy l Fairness
The NPP’s vice president and presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has highlighted the value of the Free Senior High School policy in reducing the disparity between wealth and poverty in society and boosting Ghana’s development.
Equal access to secondary education has benefited almost 5.7 million pupils since the Akufo-Addo administration’s implementation of the Free SHS program in 2017.
Dr. Bawumia gave a speech in the Asante Akyem Central Constituency on Saturday as part of his campaign visit in the Ashanti Region.
According to him, the NPP Government had to enact the Free SHS policy for two reasons: first, to give secondary education to the underprivileged and destitute; and second, to increase Ghana’s literacy rate, which is crucial for the advancement of any country.
“Countries that have developed are those that have made educational advancements, if you look throughout the world. Dr. Bawumia informed Constituency stakeholders that nations with high educational attainment also tend to progress in their development.
“Economics and other fields of study have showed that if a country wants to develop quickly the rate of education must also go up. But many of our children could not afford senior high school education. Children of the rich could attend but many children of the poor could not attend.”
“It was a big problem and it was dragging the development of the country back because the children of the poor who could not afford secondary education were more than those who could afford. That was not good for the country’s development. That is why we said by the grace of God if we got elected, we would introduce free SHS.”
Dr. Bawumia also recalled how former President Mahama, who was in office at the time, vehemently rejected the NPP’s plan to enact the Free SHS policy, claiming it was not practical. Former President Mahama opposed, saying it was impossible, when we said we wanted to establish free SHS. “It was,” he stated. “419.”
