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Former Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ejisu-Juaben Municipality, Afrifa Yamoah Ponkoh has indicated that the Free Senior High School policy which President Akufo-Addo is boasting of is the birthright of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

He justified his claim on the fact that the E-block school projects which started in the era of the late President John Evans Atta Mills were the preparation ground for the implementation of the Free SHS Policy.

Speaking on Okay FM’s 'Ade Akye Abia' Morning Show, the former MCE insisted that, “Free SHS policy in a way is NDC’s birthright because it started in the NDC era under the late President Mills before former President Mahama continued in a progressive manner.”

He maintained that the fact that the Akufo-Addo government has decided to expand the E-block projects to boarding facilities is a testimony to his claim that the Free Senior School policy started in the NDC era.

He, however, expressed his appreciation to the Akufo-Addo government for accepting that former President John Dramani Mahama did not waste state resources to build those Commmunity Day Schools. 

“This is a plus to the Akufo-Addo government to expand the Day Schools to include boarding facilities for the successful implementation of the Free SHS Policy . . . they have realized that Mahama did not build those schools in bushes,” he averred.

He added that even though the Free SHS is a good policy, the Akufo-Addo government did not start on a good foot as it should have been done by first building enough educational infrastructure before the implementation of the policy.

“The Free SHS is not done this way because the situation now is like a man who has not seen the arrival of his woman but has first laid his bed, waiting for her. The NPP did not do the necessary things before implementing the policy and putting undue pressure on the students and the parents . . . those who are dying are dying and those who are falling sick are also falling sick due to the clumsiness of the implementation of the policy,” he asserted.

He stressed that parents and guardians are rather spending more money to put their children through schools in Akufo-Addo's Free Senior School Policy as some of them have to rent apartments for their children before enjoying the policy.