Prof. Smart Sarpong, a senior lecturer at Kumasi Technical University, foresees a potential bedbug infestation in public universities if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) implements its 'No Academic Fee Policy' for first-year students upon assuming power in 2025.

The academic was speaking in an apparent reference to claims made by some leading members of the opposition NDC party in 2018 following the implementation of the Free SHS policy.  

"In 2018, NDC flagbearer John Mahama called on President Akufo-Addo to fumigate dormitories in senior high schools across the country, citing complaints from students about bedbug bites caused by congestion resulting from the free SHS policy.

He made the call at Ada in the Greater Accra region while addressing party members and sympathisers as part of his campaign tour.  

"Now, because of the congestion, children are complaining about bed bugs. I have met some SHS students, and they show me their skin that has been bitten by bedbugs.  

"I call on the government that at least, if the dormitories are congested, it should just fumigate the dormitories so that the children could be free from these bed bugs," Mahama pleaded.  

Commenting on the NDC's planned 'No Academic Fee Policy' in a panel discussion on Peace FM on Friday, August 16, 2024, Prof. Smart Sarpong condemned the unnecessary partisan political talk that ends up rubbishing every good initiative intended to further develop the country.  

He said if the Free SHS policy indeed caused bedbug infestation in schools, then the universities will experience the same because of the expected huge enrollment numbers that the No Academic Fee Policy will cause if the NDC wins power. 

"How could anybody say that if someone pays the school fees of another person, it can cause bedbug infestation? How is this possible? There was talk that quality would be sacrificed if I paid for Charles' [panelist on the show] school fees for him, really? If not for political expediency and propaganda, everyone knows that free SHS is a good policy.  

"Sometimes we make our politics too ugly. After so much rubbishing of the Free SHS policy, we are now being told if the state helps to pay the academic fees for first-year university students, it will not affect the quality of education. I can imagine how many bedbugs will infest the various universities. The universities should get ready for a bedbug infestation," Prof. Sarpong said.

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KA/BB