The Vice President and flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia says the governing party has proven it can be trusted with the education of Ghanaian children.
Speaking at the 63rd Conference of the Ghana Muslim Mission in Kumasi, Dr. Bawumia said, after seven years of investment in the free SHS policy and the positive impact it is having, the NPP presents a solid track record in managing the education of Ghanaian children.
Dr. Bawumia, who listed the successes of the Free SHS policy including increase in enrollment from 800000 to 1.4 million in seven years and the gender parity in enrollment, took a swipe at the critics saying
“while the government rolled out the Free SHS policy, much to the excitement and relief of parents, some pessimists predicted doom for Free SHS”.
He continued; “They said Free SHS was a scam. They said it was 419 and they said if they 2 billion cedis to spend, they won’t spend it on Free SHS. They said Free SHS will lower the quality of educational standards.”
“At the end of the 2023 WASSCE, nearly 70% of Ghanaian students who sat the exam passed, representing the highest pass rate since 2015,” he said.
“There are those, who, instead of congratulating the students and their hardworking teachers for their remarkable success, are rather denigrating their efforts, by questioning the credibility of the score of the WAEC exams they wrote”, he added.
Dr. Bawumia also reminded Ghanaians of the previous National Democratic Congress’ government cancelling allowances for teacher trainees, nursing trainees and Arabic instructors, stressing it took the New Patriotic Party to restore these allowances.
In addition, he noted, the government has introduced free TVET education to enhance the Ghana’s education system.
While slamming the negative attitude of “our opponent” to Free SHS and other educational initiatives, Dr. Bawumia concluded that “the future of the education of Ghanaian children will be safer in the hands of the NPP”.
“We, the NPP, have demonstrated that we can be trusted with the education of our children.”
“Free SHS will not be safe in the hands of our main opponent. Let us not sacrifice the future of our children on the alter of people’s political ambitions”, he emphasized.
