Education Ministry denies sanctioning ‘Free SHS Ambassador’ in viral video

The Ministry of Education has denied allegations by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the government is deceptively using its Free Senior High School (SHS) ambassadors to run political campaigns for the NPP in Senior High Schools.

The Ministry says it does not recognize the said ambassador who was captured in a video making rounds on social media, purportedly undertaking politically-related activities in Senior High Schools, an action the GES has outlawed.

Speaking to Citi News, Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Education, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, says the said ambassador is not known by his outfit.

“The Ghana Education Service or the Ministry of Education has not sanctioned anybody to go round the Senior High Schools and claim to be a Free SHS Ambassador. One will remember that when we started the implementation of the Free SHS policy, we appointed and nominated one ambassador in the name of Abraham Attah who is a known movie actor.”

In the video, the said ambassador of the government’s flagship program was seen persuading the students to impress on their parents and siblings to vote in favour of the governing New Patriotic Party in order for them to continue enjoying the initiative.

Mr. Assafuah further said they will investigate the issue to bring the perpetrators to book.

“So, if anybody going around claiming to be a free SHS ambassador, that person has not been sanctioned by the Ministry. We are going to launch a full-scale investigation into this matter. It will also depend on the status of the person; if the person is not a teacher then it will be a problem. But if the person is a teacher, then the GES and Ministry have their own punitive measures if someone flouts its rules and regulations.”

Meanwhile, a Ranking Member on Parliament’s Education Committee Peter Kotoe Nortsu,  has called for the headmaster of the Suhum Presbyterian School to be sanctioned, for allowing his students to be exposed to politics.

In a Citi News interview, Peter Kotoe Nortsu who cited a similar incident that occurred at the Tempane SHS months ago, condemned the action saying it was a clear infringement of GES instructions hence must not be encouraged.

“The Headmaster of Tempane SHS was suspended when David Akamba passed through the school and had interaction with the students. So with this particular one, the Headmaster cannot tell us that he was not informed about it. It was a gathering of all the students that all the said gentleman spoke.”

“The man is the special assistant to the MP for Suhum. So the headmaster is aware so he needs to be cautioned not to allow his school premises to be used by ambassadors of Free SHS otherwise we will take any advantage of any opportunity go to the SHSs”, he added.