Flagbearer aspirant of the National Democratic Congress, Sylvester Adinam Mensah, has called government’s free SHS policy the most expensive item in the country.

The former boss of the National Insurance Authority said “with the so-called double track system, parents would even spend more on extra classes for their wards than what we used to have.”

He complained that the New Patriotic Party did not take into consideration the dynamics of the socio-political context in Ghana before implementing the Free SHS program.

Mr. Mensah was responding to a question posed by a branch executive from the Tema Central Constituency at the Hospitality Centre, Tema community 4 who wanted to know the NDC’s presidential aspirants’ views on the free SHS policy and the way the NPP government is implementing it.

The Free Senior High School (SHS) program was introduced by the Nana Akufo-Addo-led government in 2017 as a means of getting all junior high school graduates into SHS.

The initiative was also to relieve the financial burden carried by many parents who had their wards in Senior High Schools.

However, the increasing number of students in the various schools forced the government to introduce the double track system.

Students in the double track system are divided into two batches, the gold track and the green track. With the track system, students in one batch go to school while students in the other wait their turn.

"There are people who even if they're copying from others during an examination, they copy together with the person's name. That is exactly what the NPP is doing with the free SHS,” Mr. Mensah stated.

He added that “the good news is that the NDC is winning the 2020 elections and when we come, we will review the programme to benefit Ghanaians.”

Mr. Mensah was in the Tema Central Constituency to meet with branch and constituency executives, as part of his campaign tour of the Greater Accra Region on January 7.

He spoke about his vision for the NDC and Ghana and assured delegates at the meeting that the time has come for change in the NDC and Ghana.

Mr. Mensah at the branch meeting stated Ghanaians are tired and disappointed in the NPP government and also have regretted voting for the NPP.

He said “Ghanaians are frustrated by the failures of this government and are yearning for change. They are expecting the NDC to prove that it has the capacity to renew itself.”

“We need to prove to them by voting for me as the flagbearer of the NDC for the 2020 general elections," he noted.

Mr. Mensah's address was interspersed with songs and chants of victory raised by executives expressing their endorsements and supports for his bid.