NPP Manifesto 2020 launch: Akufo-Addo belittles NDC on education
“Your credibility on the future of Free SHS is zero,” the president tells John Mahama, as he re-enters the education debate
President Akufo-Addo says John Dramani Mahama’s chances of being able to give the New Patriotic Party’s flagship Free Senior High School policy a future under a government of Mahama’s National Democratic Congress are practically non-existent, and that no one in Ghana will entrust education to his care.
Addressing guests at yesterday’s official launch of the NPP’s manifesto for Election 2020 at the University of Cape Coast, Akufo-Addo said the decision to implement the “Free SHS” programme was not taken lightly.
As such, he said, he will do everything possible to prevent any “review” or cancellation of the programme by anyone for reasons of politics.
“Loud assertions”
“We have no reason to believe the NDC presidential candidate’s newly proclaimed conversion to free SHS and TVET [technical and vocational education and training],” Akufo-Addo said.
“For eight years, he and his party were loud in their assertions that they did not believe in free SHS and free TVET. They did not like the idea, they rubbished it at every opportunity and they proclaimed that it would destroy Ghana’s education system.
“Excellency [referring to the former president], please try another one. Your credibility on this one is zero.
“Free SHS and free TVET cannot be trusted in your hands,” he said.
A risk too far
The President further argued that the people of Ghana stand to lose if they allow the National Democratic Congress to take control of any other sector of the economy, be it agriculture or the private sector.
“In much the same vein, we will not risk putting agriculture under the NDC and its leader,” the president said.
“They will be the ones again who leave the farmers on their own, without the support that is helping to make farming the profitable and fulfilling business it should be.
“And why should anyone imagine that an NDC administration under the former president will treat businesses any differently from how they treated businesses the last time round?” President Akufo-Addo asked.
The NPP used the launch of its 2020 manifesto, Leadership of Service: Protecting our Progress, Transforming Ghana for All, to take back control of the discussion of social and economic challenges in the lead-up to this December’s general election.
Wilberforce Asare
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