The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) Brong Ahafo Regional Youth Organizer, Kwame Baffoe aka Abronye has accused the main opposition National Democratic Congress(NDC) of planting their own people within the various second-cycle institutions to frustrate the government’s flagship programme- Free SHS policy.
Per his account, he has evidence to the fact that several Matrons and Headteachers of some SHS in the country who have links with the opposition NDC have been secretly carting overnight some food stuffs meant for the feeding of boarding students.
He revealed in an interview with sit-in host Kwaku Owusu Adjei on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa 102.5 FM that the unfortunate cases gathered in few of the second-cycle institutions fuels the suspicion that the opposition NDC is colluding with these individuals working in the SHSs to collapse the Free SHS policy.
President Nana Akufo-Addo recently said the “politically motivated propagandists and naysayers, who, in the last few years, said that free SHS was not possible and could happen only after 20 years, are now singing a new tune. They now claim free SHS is not sustainable and will crash in five years.”
The president said, “I continue to be puzzled as to the vehemence with which so-called social democrats oppose or attempt to undermine measures designed to address poverty. Their demagoguery and opportunism will always be exposed.”
But former President Mahama replied in his Facebook post that free SHS “…was recognized and enshrined in our constitution by the ordinary people of this nation, which makes it impossible for any NDC regime to reverse the policy.
He said the “Disagreement over the programme is about the optimal pace of implementation. A more carefully considered plan of implementation adopted by broad stakeholder consultation would have resulted in clear policies and guidelines, which would have avoided the current challenges plaguing the programme and putting our students in harm’s way.”
However, amidst the challenges that have bedeviled the programme, Abronye believes the opposition NDC should be blamed for scheming to sabotage the policy and make it crush as they’re claiming it would in few years to come.
Backing his claim of sabotage against the Free SHS policy, he cited an instance where the matron of Ghana Secondary Senior High School (GHANASS) was caught while she was hauling out of the school, food products, including several boxes of sardines and tin tomatoes to go and sell outside. The case is however under investigation by the BNI.
“You’ll also recall that about three weeks ago, Police also arrested a matron of Buipe SHS who was accosted while she was transporting food stuffs to Tamale to go and sell. The report is being investigated by the Northern Regional Police Command. The lady involved is the Buipe NDC branch Women’s Organizer.
“A similar case also happened in the Central region, Winneba, where the Headmistress of the School, Mrs. Coffie in a publication by the Daily Graphic complained that since the Buffer Stock Company took charge of the supply of food items on the directive of the government, no supply has been made to the schools. However, it was later discovered that she was just hoarding the food stuffs to sell outside. This person we are talking about here is the Finance committee member in the NDC party in Winneba.
“So we have enough grounds to say that the opposition NDC is scheming to collapse the Free SHS policy at all cost by their evil deeds uncovered in some of the SHSs in the country.”
