Bawumia: Fee-free 2nd cycle education is do-able

By William Yaw Owusu

Saturday September 13' 2008
DR Mahamudu Bawumia, running mate of the New Patriotic Party has promised that free education at the senior high school will be implemented in no time when the NPP is retained in office in the December election.

“The free education initiative is so dear to the heart of Nana Akufo-Addo, our flag-bearer who has promised to implement it as quickly as possible”.

Dr Bawumia who until recently was a Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana said this in an interview on Monday when he paid a familiarisation visit to the office of the New Times Corporation in Accra to acquaint himself with activities of the corporation.

Dr Bawumia said investing in education is the most prudent way of positioning the country for an accelerated growth and development saying “we should not undermine the effort to promote quality and affordable education in this country.”

He said the next NPP administration will work hard to find the needed funds to support the free education initiative and added “When the NPP came into office in 2001, it did not need oil revenue to implement the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education.”

Dr Bawumia said apart from education, the next NPP administration will pay more attention on the National Health Insurance Scheme, transportation agriculture, particularly cocoa production and more importantly further stabilization of the country’s economy.

He also said the NPP will form close partnership with the industrial sector to create more employment avenues for the people.

“The issue of unemployment should not be interest to everybody and the NPP sees it as a major challenge which needs to be tackled head on and bring happiness to our people”.

Dr Bawumia further said “the NPP campaign will continue to raise issues I have enumerated above with the hope helping to solve them when hopefully we retain power”.

“We want to stay focused on our campaign messages. I believe in the NPP’s vision that is why I am offering myself to serve my nation even better”.