2024 Election: Free SHS no longer resonates with Ghanaians – Prof. Kobby Mensah

A senior lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Kobby Mensah has asserted that the New Patriotic Party(NPP) flagship free Senior High School(SHS) policy no longer resonates with Ghanaians going into the 2024 election.

The Political Marketing Strategist said the policy following its implementation in 2017 has had an opportunity to live.

In this regard, it will not create the same impact in the 2024 election.

“From digitalisation, they have now gone back to free SHS but it is no longer resonating with Ghanaians as it did in 2016 because the message had the opportunity to live. Even for commercial brands, they always try to bring freshness. So it was an ambition and by implementing it, people have experienced it,” he stated.

The Free SHS which many have touted as a major transformative policy has become a topical issue going into the general election.

President Akufo-Addo during a tour in the Western North Region on Tuesday, November 5, noted that over 5.7 million students have benefited since its launch.

With the policy a key campaign message for the NPP, party faithful are positive it will garner them massive votes since beneficiaries are eager to vote by way of saying thank you to the Akufo-Addo government.

However, Prof Mensah in an interview on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem Thursday, said the NPP should have re-strategised in selling the Free SHS policy.

“Human beings are dynamic and once the experience starts, they will want new expectations. There should have been changes and going back to the Free SHS, you should look at the time and how you will re-model it to resonate it with the people again,” he said.