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Presidential candidate of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) in the 2016 elections has cautioned government against over politicisation of the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme.

According to Dr Papa Kwesi Ndoum, this is to ensure the sustainability of the programme after the exit of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.

More than eight years after it was publicised by candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on the ticket of the NPP as a major policy decision that could propel the country’s development, the policy kick started on September 11, 2017.
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About 400,000 students are expected to benefit from the education policy that will exempt them from paying for tuition and other fees. At the launch of the logo for the policy two weeks ago, the President said apart from free tuition there will be no fees collected for use of the library, computers, utilities etc. There will also be a free hot meal for day students as well. “Free SHS will also cover agricultural, vocational and technical institutions at the high school level. I also want to state clearly again that we have a well-thought out plan that involves the building of new public senior high schools and cluster public senior high schools,” the President said recently.
When President Nana Akufo-Addo launches the programme at the West African Senior High School (WASS) in Accra on Tuesday, it will be a fulfilment of his long held campaign promise.

But commenting on the programme as it takes off, Dr Nduom said he does not understand all the fuss created about the programme with launches 'here and there'.
He believes it is not necessary for the government to have created a Free SHS Secretariat, arguing that it should be part of the mainstream educational system.
According to him, it is only creating “another office which means appointing more people, paying some more people and giving some things we don’t have.”

“What is the point? Is it just for politics or what? If it is politics then it is dangerous,” because then another person might come and decide that the policy belongs to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and change it."
Dr Nduom said the Free SHS programme should be depoliticised as the country goes by the Constitutional provisions for educating the citizenry.
He is all for the policy staying as he believes it is important for national development.