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It's a distortion for the NDC to claim credit for the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, says ace journalist Kweku Baako Jnr.

The free SHS policy is the flagship programme of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and was started in September 2017. A double-track system was introduced to regulate the number of students. This includes the gold and green tracks where the students alternate.

Currently, through the effort of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, about 1.2 million children are studying and being fed free of charge at the senior secondary level.

The NDC, however, said it was impossible to implement this policy and rather advocated for a progressively free education. It has, however, dismiss reports of any intention to scrap the policy.

Last week, the NDC flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama astonishingly claimed that he brought about the now highly acclaimed free SHS policy.

The former President, who was embarking on what the opposition NDC has termed “Speak Out” tour as part of his re-election bid for 2020, zoomed into the Ahafo Region, and told a gathering at Sienchem in the Asutifi South Constituency, that he started the Free SHS programme, claiming it was meant for day students.

Addressing them in Twi, he said, “Free SHS is good. If anyone stands anywhere and says that I, John Mahama, will cancel Free SHS tell the person he or she is a liar,” adding, “I haven’t said anywhere that when we come to power we are going to cancel the policy. We started it with day students and we were going to expand it when, unfortunately, we left office.”

Mr Mahama further stated that during his tenure he realized that if all the kids go to school at once it was going to be a problem for his government so he decided to build more schools and subsequently started the 200 Secondary Schools project which came to be known as E-Blocks.

“There are about 600 schools in the country and we decided to build 200 more,” he said.

Kweku Baako speaking during a panel discussion on Peace FM‘s morning show 'Kokrokoo' said it's a known fact that the NDC opposed the policy.

"The NDC campaign against the free SHS is public record; they sponsored adverts against the policy; it was funded from their camp," he indicated.




However, the NDC "began to shift gradually as time went on; in terms of their fanatical opposition; they drifted and came up with the progressively free education. It is public record that they conceptualized their shift".

Citing a document where the Mahama administration outlined a progressive implementation plan, Kweku Baako said it will be deceptive to allude that they (NDC) started the free SHS.

"When a deeper analysis is done you'll realize they are not continuing what you started which you did not fully implement. This is not something to compare for you to even say you started. It's propagandist; a distortion."



Meanwhile, President Akufo Addo said there is no way his government will risk putting the policy in the hands of Mahama and the NDC.

"When they were in office, they had a hard time trying to run even their watered-down version of their so-called progressively free education. Then the former President said he would 'review' it, and now we hear him say it has come to stay. Excellency, please try another one. Your credibility on this one is zero, free SHS, free TVET cannot be trusted in your hands."

"I take pride in the fact that free SHS and free TVET have been delivered, and our young people, and their parents and guardians, know that they will no longer be forced to stop school at JHS level because of financial difficulties. It was not easily done, and, so, we intend to protect it and prevent any so-called 'review', another word for cancellation,"  he said at the outdooring of NPP’s manifesto in Cape Coast, Saturday