By: Stephen A. Quaye.

When you cast your mind back to the 2012 electioneering campaign season, what comes back to mind as the first thing President John Dramani Mahama, promised Ghanaians when retained as the head of state?

He promised sending silicon foam from the seat of his government at the Osu Castle, now at Flagstaff House to come and fly Ghanaians to “Better Ghana Agenda” heaven where there would be no suffering.

So what is happening to the better Ghana Agenda programme now that Ghanaians are suffering? Did it take off from the castle, about to take off or it was just a bluff to get majority of the over all votes to emerge the winner in that election.

We wrote it down. Do you remember? Yes we wrote it down that is why we are reminding him of those promises he made to Ghanaians when canvassing for their votes and the need to fulfill them.

Since education was the dividing issue between the NDC and the NPP as the NPP campaigned for a free Senior High School [SHS] education, the NDC advocated for a gradual process due to lack of infrastructure.

Addressing his last rally at Accra International Trade Fair Centre which was attended by tens of thousands of his supporters, president Mahama, promised his NDC party’s better programmes for all Ghanaians.

Listen to what he said,” We have a solid plan for Ghanaians that goes beyond education. We have programmes for health, agriculture, tourism infrastructure and many more”.

So let us turn our attention to education first and see whether there has been any solid program in place to improve standard of teaching and learning from the primary school level to the institutions of higher learning.

One can say that apart from the health sector, education sector has experienced a lot of set backs under president Mahama’s administration.

Apart from wide spread collection of unapproved fees by some heads of senior high schools that about 300 parents and guardians complained about, teachers also keep on expressing their disappointment over acute lack of basic education inputs across the country.

A phenomenon according to them is thwarting their efforts at delivering quality lessons in the schools. This has been denied by NDC spin doctors on several political platforms.

But the results for May/June 2014 West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination WASSCE has vindicated the teachers who expressed their disappointment over acute lack of basic education inputs across the country.

Seventy-two percent of Senior High School students who sat WASSCE this year failed and instead of finding a possible solution to the problem, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, deputy minister for education is poking fun at the opposition NPP.

As Okudzeto Ablakwa fights over the figures in the media to defend his boss promise of “solid plan for education” which has failed, the fact remains that more school going boys and girls are been denied access to quality education as they sell dog chains on the streets.

It is under president Mahama’s solid programme of education for Ghanaians, polytechnic teachers are on strike demanding for their book and research allowance from the government.

Since May 2014, they have been on strike due to what they describe as government failure to pay them their allowances.

University teachers have also been on strike for the past three weeks now following the refusal of the government to pay its research and book allowance.

President Mahama promised to build 200 school blocks as part of his solid education programme for Ghanaians. As we speak today, not even half of the said 200 school blocks have been constructed.

As you agreed with me to write down that promise he made to us, I think you will agree with me that we have to start asking him to tell us whether it was a bluff to win more votes when he promised of a solid education programme to all.

End.