An 18-year-old SHS graduate has stirred up an uproar online among citizens with his utterances about how the youth of Ghana are going to vote in the upcoming elections. The young man, who was a beneficiary of the government’s Free SHS policy, said he would vote based on economic hardship and not out of appreciation for the education program.
The Free SHS policy, introduced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the New Patriotic Party, has cleared the way for thousands of students across the country to have free secondary education, thereby easing the burden off parents. Many are of the view that such young beneficiaries, who are now qualified to vote, will show their appreciation by voting for the NPP’s presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
But this graduate gives a different narration. He said in a live television appearance on Oyerepa that, “as much as I appreciate the fact that Free SHS is beneficial, I’ll never be complacent about the family economic pressures that still persist. “I have completed SHS and registered to vote, but I won’t cast my vote just because I benefitted from Free SHS,” he said. “I will vote based on the economic hardship my parents are going through.”
The TV presenter was taken aback and asked him if the government funded his education, why he would not support it. And he innocently replied that at his school, even though they were paid school fees and feeding, his parents still find it very hard to give them other things they needed in the family. “My parents always complain of how expensive things have become and how tough the economy has gotten. They say people don’t buy their goods because there is too much hardship,” he explained.
He said he was now focusing on the future, saying he planned to go to university. “If I don’t vote for a government that will improve the economy for my parents to make money, how will I be able to continue my education?
His statement has since gotten mixed reactions among Ghanaians, some condemning the young man for being “ungrateful,” although others have supported his argument, indicating that the largely expected votes from the youth cannot be taken for granted, simply because of the free SHS policy, as they equally have broader economic realities they face.
You can also watch the video below:
https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMhPfeP66/