The Minority in Parliament has expressed skepticism over the government's commitment to extending the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy to private schools, questioning whether the campaign promise made by President John Dramani Mahama and Finance Minister-designate Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson will be fulfilled.Speaking at a press conference, Dr. Gideon Boako, Member of Parliament for Tano North, criticized Dr.

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Forson's responses during his vetting on Monday, January 13. He accused the Minister-designate of being evasive when questioned on the inclusion of private schools in the Free SHS programme, a policy commitment outlined in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto.

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"When asked whether the programme would be extended to private schools, the Minister-designate, in a very dismissive manner, asked whether those private schools write WASSCE exams," Dr. Boako stated. He noted that this response ignored the fact that several private schools actively participate in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).Dr.

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Boako also recalled campaign engagements where President Mahama personally assured leaders of private senior high schools that they would be included in the Free SHS initiative if the NDC returned to power."If President Mahama and the NDC knew that no private SHS writes WASSCE exams, why did they promise to include them in the Free SHS programme?" he questioned, emphasizing the growing impatience among private school operators.

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The Minority has therefore urged Dr. Forson to clarify his position and uphold the campaign pledge made during the 2024 general elections. Dr.

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Boako challenged the Finance Minister-designate and the NDC to account for the basis of their promise, adding: "What is the Finance Minister-designate waiting for? Was this not their campaign promise? What informed the promises? Didn’t they do the numbers first?"He concluded by calling on the government to act swiftly to ensure fairness in access to education, stressing the need for all students, regardless of the type of institution, to

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benefit from the Free SHS policy.

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