Free Education Pointless Without Quality � Haffar

Educationist Anis Haffar says there�s no point implementing a free education system when issues affecting quality of education are left unattended. Mr Haffar said on his programme �QUALITY EDUCATION� on the XYZ Breakfast Show on Wednesday that free education could be counterproductive if issues confronting quality teaching and learning are left unresolved. �Anytime people are talking about free education, freed this, I say �my goodness�, let�s begin to look at it in a more holistic way. What exactly are we looking for? Even before the free gets in. �What is the point in having education for free when you come out and you don�t even know what to do for yourself? You don�t know who you are. You don�t know what you�re capable of doing. And you end up on the streets. These are the challenges facing the country.� The twice-defeated Presidential Candidate of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo made free education the fulcrum of his 2012 election campaign. President John Mahama and the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), argued at the time that quality education was a priority rather than free education. The President however made a u-turn recently when he announced to Parliament in his State of the Nation Address that his Government will, progressively, start implementing the free SHS policy from the 2015/2016 academic year. There have been recriminations between the two parties over the policy ever since the President made the announcement.