Efo Worlanyo TSEKPO
Any time NPP is in government they try to play populace games with our secondary Education for political gains which later ends up to be their nightmare but they have refused to learn lessons from it.
They take decisions without looking at future consequences on the citizenry.
As ”intellectuals” as they call themselves, they should’ve always done [ads1]SWOT analysis on their policies before implementing them to avoid public outcry. No wonder they claim to always read but lack understanding.
I remember during Prez Kuffour’s era, the NPP government constituted a committee chaired by Professor Anamoah Mensah then Vice-Chancellor of the University of Winneba to advice them on the four year secondary Education program they wanted to implement.
The committee in their wisdom, advised the President, that the four years extension is good but should be implemented when the necessary infrastructures are in place because there is pressure on the already few facilities available in the various senior High schools.
Because the committee’s recommendation wasn’t in line with what the NPP planned to do, they threw the report into the bin and went ahead to implement the four-year duration program.
That year, I was doing my national service in the Upper East Region and was then the Upper East Regional President Of NASPA, so I witnessed a lot upon our visitation to most of the Senior High Schools in the Upper East Region where classrooms, storerooms, bathrooms, and even school football fields were converted and used as ”sleeping places” for students.
The congestion nature of the schools during the dry season at the north witnessed a severe outbreak of the CSM epidemic which affected most students and in a particular school killing about 7 students in a week resulting in a lady paralyzed till date all in the name of the government implementing a policy ”by fire by force”.
Thankfully enough to God, in 2008 Prez. Mills won the elections has to correct the mistakes by investing into massively in infrastructure on all senior High campuses nationwide as well going back to implement the recommendations of Prof. Anamoah’s report by reversing the killer 4years duration for the SHS to the former.
Today the NPP is in government and they have once again started toiling politically with the future of our children’s Education.
Dr. Otabil once advised us not to accept free things because a time will come we can’t ask questions about it even if that free is killing us.
I remember before this free SHS implementation started, The NDC, Educationists, think tanks and others raised lots of questions about the wholesale implementation but the politically popular nature of the program made most Ghanaians thought we were jealous.
Even Dr. Addo Kuffour a leading member of the NPP made it clear that it is an unsustainable policy and government should think through before implementing it but he was also ignored because my President said he was in hurry.
Today Ghana, Africa and the world have seen that all the issues we raised wasn’t politically motivated but it was for the betterment of the program.
Today we are witnessing a kind of SHS education in Ghana that looks like education in a war torn country.
Everything has fallen apart.
District Directors of Education, teachers and headmasters who have been warned not to comment on the ugly side of the program and the suffering of the students are now fed up with government’s threats and lies and have started speaking out boldly about the program because of the danger of epidemics looming in the various Senior High Schools in the country which has led to the closure of some of the schools.
Now parents have also joined the chorus by demanding from government to scrap the unfruitful Free SHS and bring back JMs progressively free SHS so that they can enjoy the quality the have always enjoyed to prepare and shape the future if their children.
Just last months over 50students were admitted in a hospital in Ashanti Region and two students in Northern region were bitten by snakes when they slept on the school football field because even all the classrooms were occupied at night with mattresses.
Suppliers are on the neck of Headmasters demanding for their monies because of government’s statement that 20% of the free SHS cash has been released which turned out to be false.
Teachers are crying for TLMs to enable them provide quality education for our kids but since school resumed not even a marker was procured for the schools.
The only supply they made to the schools were 5exercise books each per student and Social studies and History books.
Some Parents are now paying over 1800 a term for hostels.
Why should we subject our children and future leaders to this punishment in the name of giving them Free Education?
Why should our ministers send their children abroad for schooling and deliberately break down the Education system in Ghana in the name of politics?
I was shocked to hear the deputy Education Minister that even if the it’s the varander which is available, the headmasters should admit the students allow them to use it as dormitories.
This is how arrogant the elephants have grown to become after gaining power.
Parents now have to constantly send monies to their children for feeding while in the Boarding house all in the name of free SHS because of shortage of foodstuffs in the various Senior High Schools recently.
We are in the 21st century and Ghana deserve better and not this cosmetic voluntary SHS contribution policy.
When JM was building schools to improve access, he was insulted.
When JM rolled out the progressively free SHS, Ghana didn’t understand him.
But now am happy Ghanaians are now calling for the return of the NDC because of how the elephants are messing up the system.
Now in Ghana everyone is crying except the Elephants in government.
The ship of state is sinking and need NDC to rescue it as a matter of urgency.
Victory 2020 is possible but it’s just a matter of time.
PossibleTOGETHER
Efo Worlanyo TSEKPO
B/A Regional Youth Organizer Aspirant.
0247046008