Ace investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni has credited the Free Senior High School Policy to the New Patriotic Party and called for an end to the debate on the origins of Ghana’s Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
According to Mr Awuni, the policy’s initiation by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is clear and indisputable.
He urged the media to focus on more pressing issues instead of perpetuating this needless debate.
The Former Nieman Journalism Fellow at Harvard University, in a compelling statement, asserted that Ghanaians were first introduced to the Free SHS concept in 2008 by the then-candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
According to him, despite facing criticism and being labeled as a populist, President Akufo-Addo remained committed to the policy, even after losing the 2008 and 2012 elections.
Mr Awuni further pointed out that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) then in government opposed the Free SHS proposal with the argument of prioritizing quality and accessibility over free education.
He stated that in an action to undermine the then-candidate, Akufo-Addo, and the New Patriotic Party’s policy, the National Democratic Congress administration under former President John Dramani Mahama, implemented “a deceptive version of Free SHS in 2015”.
Mr Awuni described this as an insult to the intelligence of Ghanaians, pointing out the meager financial support provided to students under the scheme.
“In September 2015, I wrote an article titled “The Lies About Mahama’s Free SHS Policy”. And this paragraph from that article shows the deception that the government introduced ostensibly to undermine the Akufo-Addo’s Free SHS. ‘The Government says GHc12.2 million has been released to implement the program for the first term of the 2015-2016 academic year.
“The policy will benefit 320,488 students. This means that, in a term, each student will only benefit from GHc38. Thirty-eight cedis is how much each student will benefit from this policy. Ask the SHS students how much each student pays for PTA dues alone, not to talk about other fees per semester. This is what the Mahama administration did, and nobody could call that free SHS”.
Manasseh Azure Awuni, Ace Investigative Journalist
However, the former Editor-in-Chief at The Fourth Estate recounted that when President Akufo-Addo assumed office in 2017, he launched the Free SHS policy in September of that year, making secondary education in Ghana truly free for the first time in recent history.
Mr Awuni emphasized that the Mahama administration’s attempts at Free SHS cannot compare to President Akufo-Addo’s comprehensive implementation.
“Mahama and the NDC cannot claim Free SHS. They did not start it. Even the Northern Scholarship Scheme that had started in Nkrumah’s days suffered from funding and schools in the north were often closed or re-opened late when Mahama was president. This was one of the issues that worked against the Mahama campaign in northern Ghana when the NDC said he was one of their own. These facts are well-documented, and the media should remind the NDC of this”.
Manasseh Azure Awuni, Ace Investigative Journalist
President Akufo-Addo’s Committment to Free SHS
Despite acknowledging some significant challenges in the Free SHS policy’s implementation, Mr Awuni praised President Akufo-Addo for his sincerity and commitment to the realization of the policy.
He noted that President Akufo-Addo could have delayed the policy for political gain but chose to implement it immediately, reflecting his dedication to fulfilling his campaign promise.
On the other hand, Mr Awuni bemoaned the Free SHS policy’s problems, particularly its blanket application to all students, regardless of their financial need.
He suggested that resources should be focused on those who truly need assistance, allowing the government to improve infrastructure and overall education quality.
“The Free SHS has its problems. Some of us believe that many beneficiaries do not need it. This is what I mean: Without the Northern Scholarship Scheme, which offered free SHS to children of northern Ghana, my ten siblings and I may not have been able to attend high school. But almost all my siblings and I who are old enough to be parents will not need the government to pay fees for our wards.
“I would want to pay fees for my children so that the government can concentrate on building infrastructure and supporting those who cannot pay. The infrastructure challenges have resulted in the double track, which kept some children home for most of the academic year. Their parents had to pay for tuition to keep them busy, sometimes more expensive than the fees they would have paid in SHS”.
Manasseh Azure Awuni, Ace Investigative Journalist
However, in a fervent caution, Mr Awuni pointed out that the NDC’s continued focus on the Free SHS debate is politically detrimental, recalling how similar debate contributed to the NDC’s defeat in the 2020 elections.
He emphasized that for many parents, Free SHS is a lifeline, asserting that the NDC reminding such parents of this achievement only strengthens their loyalty to the NPP.
Mr Awuni advised the NDC to avoid this topic and instead focus on other issues to regain political ground.
“Despite being needless, this debate benefits the NPP, for it is the most tangible social intervention in recent times that has affected many Ghanaians. If voters can be influenced to vote for a particular party with ten cedis, think about those who saved thousands of Ghana cedis because of Akufo-Addo’s Free SHS.
“They may have other issues with the government, but the more you talk about Free SHS, the more you remind them of a reason to vote for the NPP. That’s not a good strategy for the NDC”
Manasseh Azure Awuni, Ace Investigative Journalist
Manasseh Azure Awuni, in conclusion, called for an end to the debate over who started Free SHS, urging the media to steer the national conversation toward more important matters.
He credited President Akufo-Addo and the NPP for their unwavering commitment to making secondary education accessible to all Ghanaians and highlighted the political missteps of the NDC in engaging in the Free SHS debate.
“A word to the wise in these times may not be enough. It will only attract insults, but the truth must be said”, Mr Awuni ended.
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