THE MEMBER of Parliament for Nkoranza South, Kwame Ampofo Twumasi has challenged the NDC government to come out with an alternative to the free SHS policy being offered by NPP flag bearer, Nana Akufo-Addo.
He said the more the president and his representatives continued to bash the policy saying it would not work, the more optimistic Ghanaians were about the programme.
Mr. Twumasi was speaking during the launch of his campaign at Akumsah Dumase in the Nkoranza South constituency on Sunday.
According to the MP, if countries like Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Kenya etc could make secondary school education free, he saw no reason why Ghana, the first to attain independence in the sub-Sahara with an abundance of natural resources like gold, timber, diamond, manganese, bauxite and oil could not do the same.
He wondered why Mr. Mahama and his cronies were so afraid of the proposal made by Nana Addo saying the PNC, CPP, PPP and other political parties had all promised to introduce free SHS except the ruling NDC.
Mr. Ampofo Twumasi said he was surprised that even though the NPP flag bearer had made several promises, the issue of free SHS had hit the NDC so hard that they had totally lost focus. Touching on the teacher first promise, he said it was a laudable idea which the NPP will introduce to ensure that all teachers in the service for ten years will get a house of their own.
Professor Ameyaw Akumfi, MP for Techiman North said as the member of a committee set up by Nana Akufo-Addo to study the free SHS policy, he was convinced the project was feasible.
When implemented, he added, many Ghanaians will be assuaged of the pain of getting their wards educated at the SHS level. According to the MP, as former Director General of the GES he had no doubt this single promise will go a long way to push the nation onto a higher pedestal.