Prof. Richard Kofi Asiedu, Central Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has promised that the party will overhaul and improve the Free Senior High School program if they win the next general elections.
In an interview on the Happy Morning Show, Prof. Asiedu chastised the current state of the Free SHS policy, claiming that food quality and supply have been grossly inadequate under the Akufo-Addo government.
“John Mahama is going to polish the Free SHS policy and make it more attractive,” Asiedu stated. He alleged that students in some schools have been forced to eat the same meal of “Tom Brown” for breakfast, lunch and dinner due to funding shortages.
“The food supply in the Free SHS system is so poor that it gets sad. Headmasters and headmistresses are left in disarray…Can you imagine they eat Tom Brown from morning, afternoon, and evening,” the NDC chair lamented.
Asiedu claimed that school administrations have had to rely on funds from Parent Teacher Associations to supplement food provisions.
“This is not where Ghana needs to be at this particular time because the students need good food for proper growth and academic excellence,” he added.
He accused the government of intimidating school leaders who voiced concerns about the policy’s implementation challenges. “They’re just there because the moment you voice out, it becomes a threat to your profession,” Asiedu alleged.
The NDC chair’s comments have reignited the debate around the flagship Free SHS program ahead of election season. The party has positioned an improved Free SHS as a major campaign pledge if they unseat the NPP in the upcoming polls.