The Krontihene of Akyem Asoum, Nana Boadi Amponim Abodade III, has praised President Nana Akufo-Addo's Free Senior High School (SHS) program for its aims but criticized its execution as hasty and poorly planned.

In a recent interview, Nana Boadi acknowledged the program's good impact on expanding access to education, but she emphasized that its implementation was plagued by preventable obstacles.

"Even Lucifer had something redeeming about him. They claimed he was a good vocalist with a fantastic voice. Lucifer, sure. So, undoubtedly, there would be something positive about Nana Akufo-Addo," he said, launching his fair analysis.

"Free SHS was an excellent idea by all accounts. However, the issue was with the planning.

The chief voiced worry over the lack of comprehensive planning before to the policy's implementation, noting the burden it had on educational infrastructure and resources.

"We could have taken our time, assessed our infrastructure, the staff—both teaching and non-teaching—the books, and the logistics that were necessary," he told me.

Nana Boadi proposed that a trial period would have allowed the government to foresee and handle the issues of increased student enrollment due to the policy's open nature.

He quoted Frank Sinatra, saying, "Fools rush in where angels and wise men tread cautiously." Fools will charge in with reckless abandonment. "It was a good policy and idea, but we could have done it better."

His critique parallels the widespread controversy about the Free SHS policy. While its goals of making education more accessible have received widespread praise, opponents have highlighted to logistical concerns such as overcrowded classrooms, overwhelmed teachers, and insufficient resources, all of which are the result of bad planning.

"Free SHS was beneficial. It provided many children with access to education, but it could have been carried out more deliberately. Rushing such a monumental policy is not indicative of prudence," Nana Boadi said.