Minority leader, Cassiel Ato Forson, has refuted claims that members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) are against a proposed Free Senior High School (SHS) Bill.
Dr. Forson indicated that there is currently no such bill before Parliament, making it impossible for the NDC to oppose it.
“The claim that NDC MPs are against a proposed Free SHS Bill is false. There is currently no such bill before Parliament. We cannot oppose a bill that we have not seen,” he stated in a recent tweet.
The claim that NDC MPs are against a proposed Free SHS Bill is totally false.
There is currently no such bill before Parliament. We cannot oppose a bill that we have not seen.
For the records, it was the NDC that birthed the 1992 Constitution which provided the legal framework…
— Cassiel Ato Forson(PhD) (@Cassielforson) June 12, 2024
The Minority leader stressed the NDC’s historical commitment to free secondary education in Ghana, noting that the party laid the groundwork for the initiative through the 1992 Constitution.
He said, “For the record, the NDC birthed the 1992 Constitution, which provided the legal framework for the introduction of Free Secondary Education in Ghana.”
“It was the NDC that commenced the implementation of the Free SHS program in 2015 for all-day students in public senior high schools, totaling over 320,000, with a clear plan to expand coverage to include 120,000 boarding students by 2017.”
Dr. Forson reiterated the party’s commitment to improving the current implementation of the Free SHS and addressing its challenges through a consultative approach.
He assured the NDC will support legislation to enhance and sustain the Free SHS program.