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General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Dr. Mensah Otabil, has stoked the embers of controversy by shooting down the much trumpeted free education policy being espoused by some political parties, especially the New Patriotic Party (NPP). According to the highly respected man of God, education can never be free and those who believe such promises that fees will be free, do not understand what goes into the payment of such fees by parents. His position is in variance with promises made by the Progressive People�s Party (PPP), the Convention People�s Party (CPP) and the main opposition NPP about making education from the basic level to the Senior High School level free. Addressing his congregation, Pastor Otabil implicitly rejected the concept of free education saying, �some politicians say when we come to power nobody will pay fees; and I am sure when you hear all of that you are happy. Education can never be free�. According to him, parents still pay for their wards' education through taxes. The Chancellor of the Central University College argued that �Education can never be free; somebody is paying for it. When they come to you and say free education, you are happy; you know why you think you don�t pay fees; it�s because you can�t even understand what is going into it. Nothing is free; you are paying for it; only that you are being told you didn�t pay. You pay it through taxation, the taxes you pay...I pay taxes and you tell me you are giving me free education when it is my taxes that are paying for it? So don�t tell me free education�. Pastor Mensah Otabil also raised concerns over the quality of freebies with regards to the policy of free education. �If somebody tells you something is free, ask them what the quality is; because if you don�t know the quality, don�t take it free. If somebody tells you something is free, ask them what control I have over it. If you think that it is free, even when it is bad you can�t complain,� he noted. He continued; �I don�t want free education, I don�t believe in free education. I said pay me well my due and let me have the joy of paying my own child�s school fees so that my child is not a property of the state. He�s my own child and I have the dignity of a father to pay for my own child. When my child grows up, I'll say I paid your fees.� Pastor Otabil stressed that the reason why people will accept such promises is because �ignorance makes it very easy for people to accept anything�.