Amissah Arthur Slams Gov’t For ‘Poor’ Implementation of Free SHS

Former Vice President, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, has taken a swipe at the Akufo-Addo government over what he described as the haphazard nature in which the free Senior High School policy was implemented.

According to him, the policy was not well thought through, and was rushed by the NPP government for political expediency.

“The way it’s being done, it’s a little haphazard in my view, and it doesn’t help because every parents want to provide the best education for their wards. So they should be less haphazard in a way,” he said.

The former Vice president made the remark last Monday in an interview with the media at Ho in the Volta Region, after he together with his wife, Mrs. Matilda Amissah-Arthur, made some donations to the Children on admission at the Ho Regional and Municipal hospitals.

The free SHS programme, which was implemented by the NPP some few months ago, has since its inception recorded some setbacks in terms of infrastructure, a problem government has assured to address.

Government recently announced the setting up of a fund to receive voluntary contributions from individuals to support the implementation of the programme, and the education sector as a whole.

It has also allocated an amount of money to solve the infrastructure challenges.

But Mr. Amissah-Arthur, speaking for the first time after the National Democratic Congress party was defeated a year ago, said most of the policies implemented by the NPP government are without “full conceptualization.”

“I think that programmes have been adopted and implemented without a full conceptualization of the appreciation of the cost. So it’s like we are moving and then resolving as we go along. But a lot of these programmes should have been costed, agreed and implemented from day one rather than let’s start and model our way through.”

“I think there is a lot of modeling our way through the implementations, especially the free SHS programme. There should have been more consultation with people who have a more definition of exactly what it is that we want to do, and some clarity in the things that we want to achieve,” he added.

Ghanaians disappointed in Akufo-Addo

On the economy, he said Ghanaians are disappointed at the government over its handling of the country.

“…I think that quite a number of people are disappointed as to where this country is being taken, and we are looking for an alternative that will provide better results,” he added.

The former Vice President said, the NDC party one year after its defeat, is currently analyzing why it lost and strategizing on the way forward.

He said they are “analyzing what we could have done better looking at the national situation and deciding how we can move this nation forward. So that is what we are spending our time doing. Critically looking at policies, programmes that will move this country from where it is. I think that quite a number of people are disappointed as to where this country is being taken, and we are looking for an alternative that will provide better results. So that is what we are spending our time doing,” he added.

Source: Citifmonline