In barely less than 24 hour time, the President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency President John Mahama shall be addressing the entire nation through our representatives in Parliament pursuant constitutional provisions and conventional norms. Many political watchers and analysts have predicted that the president’s address would cover wide range of issues affecting almost every facet of national life including the current severe economic crisis, water and energy crisis, as well as issues confronting the health and education sectors. He is also expected to announce plans that his government intends to roll out in the short, medium to long term with the view to resolving these crisis and meeting the legitimate demands of the citizenry.
As expected, many Ghanaians and indeed industry players have expressed their views on what they expect the president to touch on relating to their areas of jurisdictions. It is against this backdrop that on behalf of Ghanaian students, the leadership of the National Union of Ghana Students wishes to bring to the attention of the President and for that matter Ghanaians in general; some of the nagging issues of concern to students which require immediate attention. Among other things, the Union expects the president to give further and better particulars with respect to how his government intends to execute his government’s promise to establish a public university in the Eastern Region and the progress of work made so far if any.
Ghanaian students are also expecting the president to announce progress that his government has made so far with respect to fulfilling one of his campaign promise of constructing 50 Senior High Schools each year; a promise which he re-echoed in his recent media encounter with senior journalists on the occasion of his one year anniversary. Having being in power for more than a year now, the nation is yet to see a single school constructed in fulfilment of this promise; a development which has culminated in high level of cynicisms about its viability.
We are also anxiously awaiting the president to make a bold statement in his address on the purported imminent withdraw of government’s subventions to public universities in view of the obvious economic challenges we are in. Well, we hope that this infamous reportage is not factually exact because it has the propensity to aggravate the plight of tertiary students who are already overburdened with exorbitant cost of tertiary education in the country. It is our humble expectation that the president sets the records straight on the issue.
It is also our humble expectation that the president includes in his address, the much talked about Youth Enterprise Development Fund where a promise of GHC 10million was made as seed capital for the project in his previous state of the nations address. Last but not least, we also expect more lights to be thrown on his party’s promise to embark on rigorous infrastructural development at the basic level of education to overcome the issue of access at that level. This pledge was given by the NDC as a substitute to the free SHS policy propounded by the NPP in the run-up to the 2012 polls. Again, it is regrettably worth noting that not much has been seen in this regard.
In conclusion, it is the Union’s fervent hope and anticipation that the president would indeed avert his mind to these nagging issues we have raised above and address them accordingly for the good of all.
Sammy Binfoh Darkwah
Presidents (NUGS)
Raymond Kwojori Ayilu
Press and Information Secretary (NUGS)
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