In a recent address, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo urged John Mahama, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, to acknowledge his role in the introduction of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy. President Akufo-Addo emphasized that Mahama initially criticized the Free SHS initiative, only to later claim it as his own.
Reflecting on the controversy, President Akufo-Addo highlighted Mahama's contradictory stance. "This man criticized us when we said we were going to implement the Free SHS policy. Now that Ghanaians have accepted the policy, he is saying he is the one who introduced Free SHS. Have you ever heard such a thing?"
The debate resurfaced after Mahama's comments on July 7, where he asserted that his administration initiated the Free SHS policy in 2015. Responding to these claims, Akufo-Addo reminded Ghanaians of Mahama's previous opposition, including a remark that if he had 2 billion cedis, he would not invest it in free education.
President Akufo-Addo made these remarks during the unveiling ceremony of Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh as the NPP’s running mate. He concluded by challenging Mahama to give credit where it's due: "If today he has seen the importance of the policy, he should give me my stone."
This ongoing debate underscores the significant impact of the Free SHS policy on Ghanaian politics and education, highlighting the importance of recognizing true contributions to national development.