Hon. Samuel Addai Agyekum Slams John Mahama’s Administration as worse for education sector
Hon. Samuel Addai Agyekum, District Chief Executive (DCE) for Sekyere Kumawu District, has criticized former President John Dramani Mahama’s administration for insensitivity.
He pointed out that under the NDC regime, “The schooling period was seven months with 18 contact hours per week.” In contrast, during President Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo’s administration, “schooling period has been reduced to six months with 24 contact hours per week.”
Hon. Agyekum claimed that during Mahama’s regime, “students were frequently sent home for not paying school fees and printing fees.”
Speaking from his experience as a teacher and form headmaster at Dadease Agric Senior High School, he cited Prempeh College as an example, noting that “many students in the Ashanti region who wished to attend Prempeh College now have the opportunity, and this opportunity has doubled.”
He emphasized that the Free SHS policy, which has been in place for seven years, has greatly benefited many students in Ghana. According to him, “quality education is determined not by the number of months spent in school but by the number of contact hours.”
He pointed out that during Mahama’s time, “teachers were often absent, and they had to use their professional allowances, which were not paid regularly, to cover students’ school fees.”
Hon. Agyekum contrasted this with the current administration, stating that “such problems have not been experienced under Nana Addo’s leadership.”
He accused Mahama of being selfish, claiming that “while Ghana was facing serious hardships and children were not receiving proper education, Mahama calculated his salary from 2013 and paid it to himself.”
He also mentioned Dr. Alhaji Tahira Abdul Raman, who sent a letter to John Mahama on January 7, 2013, stating that “83 northern schools were not to be opened,” which he described as a bad policy.
Hon. Agyekum criticized the NDC for making contradictory statements, noting that “they did not support the Free SHS policy in 2016 but now agree with it in 2024.” He concluded that “this inconsistency would not benefit Ghanaians.”
