GHANA’S FREE EDUCATION - BEAUTY AND UGLY DISCUSSIONS
At his first State of Nation Address to the Parliament of the Republic, H.E. the President indicated his commitment to implement his long-held promise of making senior level education free for all Ghanaians. To many, it was not surprising as his campaign in 2008, 2012 and 2016 very much featured free education as one of the changes to come should then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo wins. The announcement, however, has generated some buzz in the country. Social media has been inundated with analysis and counter analysis with regards to cost, impact and benefit. In most instance, the discussion has been stimulating and insightful. My friends at Imani- a revered think tank in Ghana, have indicated their open disagreement with the policy and are livid the government is going ahead with implementation come September 2017. Imani’s President, Franklin Cudjoe, and Bright Simons- Vice President have led the charge against the policy. In all, the discussions have been intellectually apt, stimulating