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General News of Wednesday, 31 July 2024

Source: peacefmonline.com

Free SHS is President Akufo-Addo's 'brainchild' - Information Minister tells Mahama

Minister for Information, Fatimatu Abubakar Minister for Information, Fatimatu Abubakar

Minister for Information, Fatimatu Abubakar, has fired salvoes at the largest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), over their claim of being the first to introduce Free Senior High School (SHS) education.

The debate about who implemented the Free SHS policy has arisen following the promise by former President John Mahama that he will continue the policy despite previous statements by him to review it and claims by the NDC that the policy doesn't belong to President Akufo-Addo, arguing that they were rolling it out progressively under the Mahama regime.

Speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show, the minister deflated the NDC's confidence that they contributed to Free SHS, though it was implemented by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2017.

Fatimatu Abubakar noted that Free SHS is the sole brainchild of President Nana Akufo-Addo and that the NDC cannot partly or wholly claim ownership of the programme.

She recounted how the President has ensured that every parent and guardian can freely send their wards to school without bearing any financial burdens regarding the payment of tuition fees and meeting other financial requirements.

"When it comes to talks about education, the NDC cannot compare themselves to us. The evidence is clear. From scratch, from basic to university, the most investment in education has been done by this administration," she told host Kwami Sefa Kayi.