The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) feels vindicated following President John Mahama’s admission that he can’t complete the much touted 200 Community Day Senior High Schools promised this year.
Rather, he wants Ghanaians to give him another term ahead of the December 7 general election to enable him complete the project.
The governing National Democratic Congress(NDC) led by President Mahama during his 2012 electioneering campaign, promised to build 200 community Day SHS schools in his first term to improve access.
But the opposition NPP raised concerns about the feasibility of the promise – which the NDC maintained was very possible, insisting that government will build 50 schools every year.
Months to the end of the four-year tenure, government has attributed the problem to financial and logistical challenges.
Conceding his inability to fulfill the pledge, President Mahama stated at the inauguration of the new Abodoman Community Day Senior High School at Agona Abodom in the Central Region claimed the rest of the schools are at various stages of completion.
However, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Committee on Education, Professor Dominic Fobih described the promise on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Tuesday as fake.
He indicated that the admission of failure after four years in power is enough prove that the promise was just to get votes.
Prof. Fobih, who is also the Member of Parliament for Assin South could not fathom government’s obsession with building schools without addressing the teething problems in the educational sector.
He urged President Mahama to learn his lesson and set realistic rather than ambitious targets in this year’s electioneering campaign.
But deputy Minister of Education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa says President Mahama should be commended for being “truthful to Ghanaians”.
He said the project was truncated due to economic constraints, adding that the schools will be completed in the party’s next term in power.
Rather than condemning President Mahama for admitting to failure, the deputy Education Minister said “Ghanaians must appreciate the high level of sincerity of the number one gentleman of the land”.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa stressed that the 200 Day SHS project will be completed to improve access to education across the country.
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