Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says it is in the right direction for government to use a part of the oil money to fund the free SHS education.
The Minority in Parliament has accused the government of using oil cash to fund the free Senior High School (SHS) education, instead of investing the money in infrastructure projects following the presentation of the 2018 annual report on the Petroleum Fund and the 2018 Reconciliation Report on the Petroleum Holding Fund by the Finance Committee.
But the Majority refuted this claim insisting that education is the best investment.
Speaking to this in an interview on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', the Information Minister agrees the minority has no case.
According to him, investing in education to safeguard the future of 'our children' is indeed the right investment.
"No law stops government from using our oil money to fund free SHS . . . government wants every child to benefit from the oil cash, we also believe the best legacy or property to give children is education. This will help them become an important human resource and contribute their quota to the development of the nation. That is why government has decided to use part of the money in funding the free SHS programme . . . I disagree with the minority," he indicated.
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Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com
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@KG and Efo Mawuli: when the oil finishes we have to move towards a service-based economy (like most EU countries + Australia + Canada), which needs brain capacity rather than infrastructure. If you build infrastructure without brain capacity, you will be exactly like South Africa now--a country with 1st world infrastructure but 3rd world quality of life. Ask the Singaporeans, with 0 natural resource, they built their brains first, and then used their brains to build their economy, then the infrastructure followed naturally...the reverse is a catastrophe! I can't understand why someone would ever undermine free SHS. If we will use ALL the oil money, plus gold and cocoa money for it, so be it! What have all those monies being doing anyway?
The word is "fund".I apologize.
When the oil is depleted how will we find the SHS.?Ghanafo paa... We would have by then streamed lined the taxation system, where every pupil entering the SHS,must be able to provide evidence that his or her parent(s) or guardian(s) have been consistently been paying their their taxes with provision of their TIN number on the prospective student's application form. Which is verifiable by Ghana Revenue Service. That is the more reason why every single Ghanaian must have the Ghana card and a Tin number irrespective of employment status formal ,informal unemployed or retired. Remember,the era of "freebies"will soon be over,we must be ready to contribute more for our future generations, and be bold and ready to hold people accountable for embezzlement of public funds and those who refuse to pay taxes. We can do it.Pessimism and negativity does not make a "man" or build a society,more so a nation.
Time to tax mobile money transactions. Even if it is a 50 pesewa tax on every transaction a lot of money can be raised. It is even a more convenient avenue than the petroleum tax. Government should do it now.
@KG That is the most important question to ask. After exhausting the oil, how will future free SHS be funded? Beneficiaries of the "oil revenue for education" will die and go one day. What about those who will come after them? Meanwhile, the infrastructure once provided will outlive all generations. Let's think o, let's think.
NDC come to Europe and see how their governments are funding education for the future generation. Why are you so troubled and sick of FHSS. You want the money to be put in sectors that you can loot and share. Please government of the day invest in education period.
They want the Government to fail so they can can cheap talk. What a nation!. Instead of supporting something good, THEY instead wish the opposite.
When the oil finishes what do you idi0ts use? Find sustainable means of funding.
What is wrong with using our national resources to take care of our future generation, education is best investment to have as a nation, so we can contribute meaningfully to our national development, at the age 62 Ghana still imports labour for specialized duties, are we inferior to the nations that have developed and built their citizens? lets wise up and build what is our own, all we do as a nation is to import finished good and sell to the detriment of our currency, we need to build the human resources of this nation. I support the government on this the money belongs to all of us therefore we all benefit our children, grandchildren and the unborn. Free education had been in the north from independence why are they against it now do they want us to continually live in ignorance so they can exploit us no way enough is enough. thank you but NDC but no way. Free education all the way
This is yet another evidence that the NDC is going to collapse the free SHS program if they get the opportunity. Their interest is in building and road projects because that is where they get the opportunity to steal comfortably. Surprisingly, those of northern extraction who have benefited from free education from Nkrumah time are the very people who are mounting spirited opposition to this good policy. We are watching.