Mahama Bitter Over Free SHS

Former President John Mahama, now aspiring president on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), is said to be envious and unhappy about the success of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy and has therefore resorted to making frequent negative comments about the policy.

Spokesperson for the Dr. Bawumia Campaign Team, Dennis Miracles Aboagye on Tuesday held a presser during which he asked the former President to stop making comments which undermine the credibility of the WASSCE results especially when the said comments are not factual.

John Mahama recently challenged the authenticity of the recent results for the West Africa Senior Schools Certificate Examination (WASSCE). He alleged that  some invigilators relaxed on the job and allowed teachers  to aid thestudents in answering WASSE questions therefore they had good passes.

The Bawumia Campain Team responded to the comments by John Mahama: “It is worthy to note that ever since the former president made this unfortunate comment, various organizations including the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and parents have condemned him and asked him to provide evidence to his claims, which he has failed to do as obviously there is no evidence to that effect.”

Mr. Aboagye continued: “What cannot be underestimated is the intelligence of the SHS students who sit for WASSCE. Their efforts and sacrifices cannot be watered down because of the parochial political interest of John Mahama and NDC.

“The least one can do in this situation is to appreciate the efforts and sacrifices of these students, their teachers and parents, if not commend government for its effort in providing the necessary conditions and resources for teaching and learning to happen.

“A total disrespect from no other person than a former president should not be countenanced. If he cannot appreciate the consistent efforts of students and teachers from senior high schools he should not insult their intelligence and sacrifices.

“For someone who has been a gracious beneficiary of the Ghanaian education system in the past, it is problematic to find the failed former President set his eyes and heart of bitterness against young Ghanaians as they benefit from the revolutionized Educational System.”

Aboagye emphasized the critical role played by teachers and parents in shaping students’ success and stressed the need to defend their efforts against baseless accusations.

“While this statement by the former president has reputational damage to our education globally, the blatant disrespect meted by the former president, who should know better, to the students, teachers, and parents who sacrificed and contributed to the outstanding performance of the students must be condemned in no uncertain terms” he stated.

He noted Mahama and the NDC’s consistent attempts to discredit the policy, despite its proven transformative impact on Ghana’s education landscape.

Aboagye underscored the importance of fostering a supportive environment for teachers, students, and educational policies, warning against the detrimental effects of Mahama’s attacks on education.

He urged Mahama to adopt a constructive approach to education discourse, focusing on collaborative efforts to improve the educational system for the benefit of all Ghanaians.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to advancing educational initiatives and outlined Dr. Bawumia’s vision for the sector.

He underscored that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia envisions a transformative education system for Ghana, revolving around TVET, STEM education, and IT literacy.

President Akufo-Addo, in his recent State of the Nation Address to Parliament  commented on the FREE SHS policy

“I believe the success of the Free SHS has answered its critics, and the arguments about it should cease, and we should simply concentrate on finding ways to improve it. I am particularly glad that the fears about lowering of standards have been allayed. Refreshingly, we witnessed, through the 2023 batch of Free SHS students, the best WASSCE results in a decade”, Nana Akufo-Addo noted.

He added: Free SHS might be labelled by its detractors as a mere political slogan that must be demonised, but it is, in fact, a transformative programme that has broken myths and liberated minds. It is humbling on the one hand and frightening on the other, to think of the sheer number of talents that Free SHS has unearthed that would otherwise have ended their formal education at BECE.

“I know we will get more engineers, doctors, architects, scientists, writers and poets out of the increased numbers of those attending Senior High School, who will go on to further education. Even if they stop at Senior High School, imagine what a million more Secondary School educated young people will do to our self-confidence and the value of our workforce.

“That, alone, makes Free SHS worthwhile. I am proud that the NPP government, under my leadership, has been able to bring this transformative policy into our education system.”