[ 2017-04-26 ]

Joyce Bawa Mogtari is former President Mahama's special aide

Mahama not sabotaging 'Free SHS' - Bawa Mogtari
Former President John Mahama is not sabotaging the
Free Senior High School programme as reported by
some newspapers, his special aide Joyce Bawa
Mogtari has said in a statement.

The statement, titled: ‘Blame Not Mahama for
Your Failures’ said the “government-sponsored
attack” launched at Mr Mahama is “based on a
deliberately concocted lie that the former
president is working to scuttle the government’s
free secondary education policy”.

It said: “Two pro-government and pro-NPP
newspapers, Daily Statesman and Daily Guide,
together with sponsored leaflets in circulation in
the Ashanti Region claim that Mr Mahama is working
with some officials of the Ghana Education Service
(GES), the Bureau of National Investigations
(BNI), and some faceless South Africans to make it
impossible for the Nana Akufo-Addo government to
implement its Free SHS promise.

“How is it possible”, the statement wonders,
“for a person who does not control
government’s kitty to make it impossible for the
government to implement its policy initiative?

“It is obviously evident, as previously noted by
the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority in
parliament that government has no plans and has
outlined none on how it is going to fulfil the
many promises it made to the people of Ghana.

“The publication and circulation of this
syndicated story, which has no merit, is
concocted, and which also debases the intelligence
and character of officials of the GES and BNI, is
nothing but a diversionary tactic.

“Government has huge challenges with
implementing a campaign promise to make education
at the senior high school level free for all
students, both day and boarders, and starting from
the next academic year.

“But this attempt to begin a careful process of
accusing the former President and hopefully blame
him for what was a clear deceit of the Ghanaian
voter, SHS students, and their parents will not
succeed.”

It wondered if government made “adequate
budgetary allocations in its 2017 Budget for the
implementation of the promise, and the many others
it made during the campaign period”.

It asked how it could be Mr Mahama’s fault that
“government has failed woefully to align its
lofty promises with practice and adequate
financial allocation?”

“Will all Ghanaian students in SHS and those who
will be entering SHS One in September enjoy free
education? Government should boldly answer that
question and find answers for parents instead of
plotting and sponsoring attacks on the former
President,” it continued.

The statement noted that Mr Mahama as president
“demonstrated his commitment to an accelerated
and multi-faceted development of our nation”,
adding: “He had a clear focus on expanding the
country’s economic and social infrastructure,
and also worked to actualise his vision of
expanding access to secondary education and also
to quality healthcare across the country.

“The start of work on 200 community day senior
high schools, implementation of a $156 million
Secondary Education Improvement Programme (SEIP),
implementation of a Progressively Free S.H.S.
programme in 2015, start of work to expand
infrastructure in our technical and vocational
institutions, among others, are evidence of his
work.

“These critical interventions in access,
quality, and affordability ensured both increased
enrolment and enhanced performance in the West
African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination
(WASSCE) results.

“I will not want to delve into concerns that
President Nana Akufo-Addo may have embarked on a
deliberate game of deception and actually lacks
commitment to the things he said during the
campaign.

“The government-sponsored syndication of this
concocted story by two newspapers aligned to
President Nana Akufo-Addo as a person, coming just
days after his meeting with all living former
Presidents of Ghana, is yet another demonstration
of a betrayal of trust by the President. Like
every good leader,” the release continued, Mr
Mahama “remains a true Ghanaian and will support
any efforts towards the growth of our country.

“The John Mahama legacy of rapid economic and
social development, gradual transformation of the
economy, the impressive and massive revamping and
expansion of infrastructure across the country, is
solid, has been proven and recognised by all
Ghanaians and many outside our country.”

Source - classfmonline.com

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