According to the report from the Citinewsroom, In response to criticisms leveled by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) regarding the double-track system introduced to manage the influx of students entering secondary school, Mr. Richard Ahiagbah, the Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has dismissed these claims as deceptive propaganda.
The double-track system, originally implemented to increase access to education, has faced criticism from some NDC members who argue that it may have indirectly contributed to a rise in early pregnancies among female students due to the staggered schedule.
Ahiagbah, however, countered these assertions, labeling them shameless propaganda and stressing that such allegations ignore the broader benefits of the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy for female students. “It’s shameless propaganda from the NDC to suggest that the double-track system led to pregnancies among young women. This line of attack ignores the reality: the FSHS policy has given thousands of female students the chance to pursue their education rather than being left behind,” he stated.
“If not for the FSHS, how many female students would still be excluded from the classroom, particularly here in the Volta Region?” Ahiagbah questioned, underscoring the policy’s impact on female education in underserved areas.
Ahiagbah further emphasized the significance of the FSHS policy in addressing financial barriers that had previously forced many students out of school. “What we must be concerned about in the Volta Region is the education of our children to compete at the highest levels because of the elimination of the cost barrier, which has forced many in the past to drop out of school,” he asserted.
According to Ahiagbah, the NPP is the only party committed to protecting and advancing the FSHS initiative, which he claims the NDC dismisses as a 419 scam.
He pointed out that “Former President John Mahama said that if he had GHS 2 billion to invest, he would not invest in FSHS. If H.E. Mahama becomes president, he will not invest in FSHS. Mahama will kill FSHS, plain and simple.”
Highlighting the socioeconomic impact of the FSHS policy, Ahiagbah shared a personal story about his brother, Christopher Ahiagba, an educationist. “My accomplished educationist brother, Christopher Ahiagba, told me how he got through school. Because he was not given pocket money for school, he and his brothers would hunt rats to trade for their upkeep. Today, thanks to the FSHS policy, no child in the Volta Region has to suffer that fate. Apart from Eworkple and Aborbitadi, education is the next favorite thing for our people,” he said.
In his closing remarks, he encouraged constituents to vote on 7 December to protect the FSHS, emphasizing that this policy plays a crucial role in ensuring that all Ghanaian children have equal opportunities for education.
Ahiagbah’s defense of the FSHS underscores the NPP’s commitment to expanding educational access and addressing socioeconomic barriers, a mission he asserts is at risk under the opposition’s leadership.