I bring you warm greetings from the beautiful campuses of Pentecost University College, Sowutuom-Accra. I do not need to ask how you are faring because I see your beautiful pictures in the papers, on television and on online portals.
I see you smile broadly and I bet you, many well-meaning Ghanaians are happy with your zeal, enthusiasm and good intentions for the many Ghanaian children who come from poor homes, villages and cottages who would not have had the benefit of second cycle education but for the timely intervention of ‘FREE SHS’ policy rolled out by your boss, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
I know the dream of free SHS is a big one but as stated by Ellen Johnson Sir leaf, “If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough……… The size of your dream must always exceed your capacity to achieve them”.
I know with all sincerity that many enemies of the poor Ghanaians who abound in the opposition party do not wish you succeed. They are very shaky, they are gnashing their teeth, they bite their fingers day and night.
They are saying aaaahhhhh!!! These people are stealing the heart of Ghanaians from us! They are saying eeeeish! It will be extremely difficult for us to win election 2020 if this policy succeeds.
I know, and I see from their eyes, I watch their gloomy and depressed faces on TV, I hear their trembling voices on radio. I know they are so unhappy!!! But in politics we all make choices. The choice of political leaders tightening their belts so that, the masses can heap a sigh of relief or the choice of leaders to loosen their belts so that the citizens live in anguish, suffering and sorrow as we experienced under the Mahama-led administration from 2008 to 2016.
Ghanaians have suffered – our monies have been looted by men and women in tie and suits, scarce resources have been misapplied in the name of strange investments- bus branding, planting trees during dry seasons, rearing of guinea fowls which never was, over bloated government’s contracts awarded to friends and cronies.
As if that was not enough, workers’ pensions were also attacked by unqualified, lame dark chief executive officers, incompetent board members who only converge to steal the savings of hardworking Ghanaian workers.
No wonder! Ghanaians retire and have to virtually craw to the offices of pension house for years before they are paid their entitlements which are often more of insults!
My Hon. Napo! Ghanaians salute you, they are saying ayekooooooo! They have asked me to tell you to tell Nana Addo that, they wish him good health, peace of mind to deliver on his campaign promises.
I am also, praying for you, day and night because you have told me through Adom FM radio with Vim Lady that are having sleepless night because of Free SHS. You need my prayers.
But, do not forget that our enemies have politicized almost every facet of the Ghanaian working population. Many of the headmasters and headmistresses in our secondary schools owe political allegiance to the opposition party.
They can work against you to ensure that this flagship programme fails. Please do not forget the ugly war waged against this programme from 2008 to date. Do not forget the extensive resources set aside by our enemies to ensure that scholars, and fraudulent think tanks make nonsense of this policy.
They have all gone into hibernation because of your fierce response to their obnoxious propaganda, but they are not dead. They are watching you keenly, and will rise once there are signs of failure.
So I urge you not to disappoint the many Ghanaians who have your back, please do not disappoint the many Ghanaians who have vested their hopes in you. And please do not disappoint the many children and parents who look up to you.
The implementation has started with some hitches from the Computerized Placement Centre with many parents expressing fear, apprehension and resentments but that can be fixed easily.
Kindly do the following;
- Set up call Centre at the Free SHS secretariat to respond to distressed calls from parents and other stakeholders in the education sector. Train those people who will handle these calls to be courteous and offer hope to those who will call.
- Deal swiftly with the complaints that will come from the callCentre.
- Set up a Special Inspector of Schools under your office to check on activities of stubborn heads of institutions who will deliberately want to thwart your efforts.
- Put a team together to produce regular evaluation of the progress of the programme and correct challenges that will emerge.
- Monitor those working at the Computerized Placement Centres to check extortion of monies from parents because that could defeat the purpose of the programme.
It is my fervent hope that we succeed!!!
Yours Truly,
Daniel Norris Bekoe
Pentecost University College, Accra.
(Tel- 0506581788)
