The Director of Communications for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, has responded to a post by a former presidential staffer and aide to John Dramani Mahama, Stan Xoese Dogbe, in which he (Stan) threw insults at him (Ahiagbah) for pointing out that Mr Mahama’s claim that he will review the free SHS policy is a clear indication to him that he (Mr Mahama) will be canceling the pro-poor policy of the Akufo-Addo administration should he win back power in 2024.
“My brother, are you okay? I am sure you have read this somewhere…by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, that, “insults are the arguments employed by those who are in the wrong.” With your level of intelligence, I know you can do better @StanDogbe!!
“My post was a harmless request for information about H.E Mahama’s proposed 100-day Free SHS policy review. The question is, what problem is the proposed review trying to cure? Because the Free SHS policy is not concerned with infrastructure, performance, or related matters” Richard Ahiagbah wrote in his tweet on “X” (formerly Twitter) in response to Stan Dogbe.
“It is quite simply a funding measure to remove the cost barrier to education for the 1000s who cannot afford secondary education. So, if “H.E. Mahama says specifically that, I will review the free SHS policy, it can only be one of two things–to cancel it or increase the funding allocation. Which one are you trying to achieve?
“You may be frustrated with the question, but you have to provide an answer because as someone who has suffered to go through SHS and almost didn’t complete school, I want to know that people from my background will continue to benefit from Free SHS. Try again, this time no insults. But, if I don’t hear from you, I shall assume my worst fear which is that the NDC plans to cancel the Free SHS policy,” Ahiagbah added in his post.
Background
Richard Ahiagbah in a post on his “X” (formerly Twitter) handle on 8 November 2023, questioned the rationale behind Mr Mahama’s promise to review a social intervention programme like the “free SHS” policy within the first 100 days upon assumption of office when the party he leads prides itself as a social democratic party.
“H.E John Mahama says he will review the Free Senior High School policy within 100 days if elected. Well, that simply means he will CANCEL the popular Free SHS policy as the NDC has always hinted. But why would a social democratic party be opposed to the interest of the masses? Do you remember my brother John Dumelo and the masses?” Ahiagbah wrote on his X handle.
“H.E Mahama must tell us what his review of the Free SHS policy would entail. We must get answers because it is primarily a financing intervention or initiative to eliminate the cost barrier to education for the masses. H.E Mahama canceled the Teacher and Nursing trainee allowance. Well, now he wants to cancel the Free SHS policy too… Don’t allow him,” the NPP director of communication added in his post.
Stan’s invectives
However, Mr Stan Dogbe, in a response post on his “X” (formerly Twitter) handle which has been viewed and read by about 76,000 people, registered his displeasure with the avowal of Mr Richard Ahiagbah, using words such as dumb to describe him and his comment.“For your level of education, at your age, and despite your short political experience, you should not be disgracing yourself in this manner @RAahiagbah! Are you sure your little children won’t be disappointed that their father goes public to embarrass them in this manner, by claiming that a decision to hold a stakeholder meeting on improving the implementation of the free SHS policy means John Mahama wants to cancel free SHS?” Stan Dogbe stated in his post.
“You may be dumb, but you honestly don’t have to display it so brazenly, as a political leader some young people will unknowingly be looking up to you. As I keep saying, we should not debase our political discourse for the sake of political expediency” the communications officer for former president John Mahama further stated on his “X” handle.
Free SHS investment
The free senior high school (Free SHS) is a flagship programme of the Akufo-Addo administration. It was introduced in September 2017, the very first year the Akufo-Addo government came into office. The policy is in its 7th year of implementation and it is a widely accepted policy which has led to a dramatic increase in secondary school enrollment in the country.
President Akufo-Addo on Wednesday, 11 October 2023, disclosed that his administration has allocated about GHc 114.5 billion to the education sector in the last seven years. Out of this, about GHC12.9 billion has been spent on senior high schools (SHSs) across the country.
The president, made the disclosure in his address at the 61st Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), in Accra. He indicated that the investment had translated into the execution of a total of 1, 105 projects at the second-cycle level.
These included accommodation, teaching, and learning-related projects such as classroom blocks, science laboratories and home economics blocks, dormitories, and model STEM schools.
Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra
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