Bawumia mocks Mahama over free SHS claim

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is baffled at what he describes as an attempt by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to lay claim to the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.

He could not fathom why a political party which allegedly sponsored over 40 advertisements against the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagship policy in 2016 will now make a u-turn to claim credit for it’s successful implementation.

“Today, the NDC and their flagbearer are saying that they started free SHS. Are they confused or do they think we have short memories?” he quizzed.

The Vice President was responding to former President John Mahama’s assertion that he introduced free SHS in 2015.

“We started the programme and the NPP came and continued it. Unfortunately, the implementation has been very poor, and so it ended us in double track. I assure you my country men, that within one year, I will cancel the double track,” Mr Mahama stressed at Tuobong, a community in the Tempane District of the Upper East Region.

But Dr Bawumia, who was speaking on the future of the country’s economy as part of the Nation Building Updates at the Cedi Conference Centre, Department of Economics, University of Ghana Thursday, said he was not surprised at the position taken by Mr Mahama.

He indicated that, the naysayers have changed their position because the performance of the graduates has mesmerized them.

“Thankfully, their predictions of doom for free SHS have not materialized. The recent result of the first batch of the free SHS graduates has shown that quality has not been compromised,” he stated.

Dr Bawumia said the position taken by the NDC is enough for Ghanaians to vote against them in the December polls.