Anybody who promises free tertiary education is a desperate politician -NPP

Mr Kwadwo Boateng Agyeman, the former Constituency Chairman for New Juaben North in the Eastern Region on the ticket of the governing New Patriotic Party(NPP), has sharply criticized Mr John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2024 general elections, for his promise of free tertiary education.

Mr  Agyeman described the pledge as “whimsical” and indicative of a desperate politician just looking for power.

Mr Agyeman argued that free tertiary education is not a viable policy, citing the absence of such programmes globally.

He suggested that Mahama’s promise was made under pressure and enthusiasm from university platforms during his recent tour of the University of Ghana, in an attempt to rival the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) initiative implemented by the NPP.

He questioned the feasibility of Mahama’s proposal, recalling a previous statement from the former President where he indicated that, if given two million Ghana Cedis, he would not allocate it to free education.

Mr Agyeman asked what had changed since then to prompt Mahama to now promise free tertiary education.

Mr Agyeman raised concerns about the financial implications of implementing such a policy, questioning where Mahama would find the 4.4 billion Ghana Cedis required for the first year. He highlighted the achievement of the Free SHS policy, which has reportedly increased the literacy rate of a population of 4.5 million, and doubted the NDC flagbearer’s ability to fund free tertiary education.

He accused Mahama of lacking a meaningful agenda and suggested that his promise was driven by a desire to redeem his image as a one-term president.

Mr Agyeman criticized Mahama’s past record, stating that as a former Vice President and President, Mahama had already been “tried and tested” and said it is needless to further test him.

Mr Agyeman also recalled that Mahama’s administration previously imposed user fees on university students, further questioning the sincerity of his new promise.

He concluded that Mahama’s proposal reflects a high level of desperation rather than a well-considered policy plan.

Mr Agyeman took issues with Mahama’s promise while speaking on the discussion segment of Accra-based Kessben FM’s morning show.