Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Clement Apaak
The Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Clement Abas Apaak, says the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) owes President John Dramani Mahama an apology for their comments on the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy during the 2024 electioneering campaign.
Speaking on the 2025 budget in Parliament on Monday, the Deputy Minister stated that President Mahama has allocated a whopping 3.5 billion Ghana cedis to the Free SHS policy.
According to Dr Apaak, President John Mahama has demonstrated his commitment to improving the Free SHS policy better than “those who claim to be the originators of the policy.”
“Mr. Speaker, before the 2024 elections, one of the catchphrases that our opponents were known for was that John Dramani Mahama and the NDC were going to cancel Free Senior High School. Mr. Speaker, today’s date is March 24th, and I want to ask them, has Free Senior High School been canceled?
“In fact, John Dramani Mahama has done something unique and commendable. While he pledged to improve and sustain the policy, he also committed to finding a dedicated source of funding to ensure that the policy yields the best returns,” Dr Apaak stated.
He continued: “Consequently, in this year’s budget, a whopping, gargantuan, colossal, and magnificent 3.5 billion Ghana cedis has been allocated to finance the policy. Those who claim to be the originators of the policy could only allocate 2.7 billion Ghana cedis at their best. So, for a man who was accused of plotting to cancel the policy to have demonstrated his love, commitment, and fulfillment of his pledge to Ghanaians, I believe the NPP and its surrogates owe him an apology,” he demanded.