The Minority Caucus has emphasized that they are not against the effort and has clarified their position on the Free Senior High School (SHS) bill. Rather, they are calling on the government to deal with the issues that are now plaguing the education sector.
This comes after the Minority Caucus was accused by Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin of being against the proposed bill on the Free SHS policy. The measure intends to control the Free SHS intervention by requiring upcoming administrations to continue the program.
Afenyo-Markin revealed that Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the minister of education, would present the measure before the parliament after it had gained executive approval.
In a Tuesday speech to reporters in Parliament, Afenyo-Markin insisted that the Minority give justification for their rejection of the bill.
Nevertheless, the Deputy Ranking Member of Parliament’s Education Committee, Dr. Clement Apaak, stated that although the bill had not yet been brought before the house, the Minority had promised their support for it in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Citi FM.
Dr. Apaak emphasized that rather than lying and deceiving Ghanaians, the Majority and the government ought to concentrate on resolving the issues in the educational sector.
“We in the NDC have never been opposed to the Free SHS policy…So I fail to understand why the NPP and now the Majority Leader are trying to revive the stale, dead and rejected propaganda message used against the NDC that we are opposed to the policy and that should Ghanaians give us the opportunity, we will cancel the policy.
“We have not said that anywhere, any day or anytime. The majority leader was the person who informed Ghanaians through the parliamentary press corps on the 11th of June 2024 that the government was going to bring to parliament a policy on the Free SHS policy with the intention of ensuring that future governments abide by the policy and implement it accordingly.”
“We are yet to even see the bill to examine its content. So for the majority leader to try and suggest that because our ranking member made a statement to the effect that it wasn’t necessary to have the bill that then translates to our side rejecting the bill is unfounded, totally unfounded in fact it is a blatant lie.”
