The former Member of Parliament for New Juaben South Dr. Mark Assibey Yeboah has suggested to the government to review Free Senior High School policy for the rich to pay, cancel the NABCO program, Nursing and Teacher Trainees allowance, as well as school feeding program.
The astute Economist was the only member of the ruling New Patriotic Party who was brunt to recommend to the government early this year to seek IMF Bailout looking at the precarious economic situation of the country.
He was however lambasted by some members of his party but finally vindicated as the government begins IMF Bailout negotiation today.
Speaking to Accra-based Citi TV on Wednesday, Dr. Mark Assibey Yeboah said the current economic situation requires that government free up the fiscal space by reducing expenditure while increasing revenue.
So these flagship programs, should all of them stay? Our free SHS even the finance minister has publicly said that he doesn’t believe in the way the free SHS is being run.
“So why should we be paying for boarding facilities and the rest so we can shape the free SHS somewhat, you have the free SHS bill of 1.9 billion a year if you can save let’s say 400 million a year that’s huge. For instance NABCO seriously, we pretend to be paying them, they also pretend to be working.
I have advised that pay them some three months in addition as they exit, it was supposed to be a three years program, so why should you extend it, you can’t extend it forever, it should be scraped by now “.
“School feeding, for example, is costing 97 pesewas per student, so imaging you are a caterer and you cook for hundred students it means you will get Ghc 97 to prepare food for 100 students, are you buying gas, utensils the ingredients and even the transportation from your home to where the school is, so if you can’t afford the Ghc 3 there is no space to do that so stop pretending to be doing it.
You see that 97 pesewas cost the government Ghc 900 a year so utilities, water, electricity, they are going to come hard that are we paying real estate rate so these are the things that you have to look at so is a government level and am happy to hear the president is going to take charge so you sit down and say which are the ones that we want to improve upon”.
Dr. Mark Assibey Yeboah said, removing the Nursing and Teacher Trainees allowance will not have any political implications.
Teacher and nursing training allowances should be scraped, it was a campaign message though but there were so many campaign messages that have not been fulfilled, your first term you did it fantastically. Mahama didn’t lose the election because of removing teachers and nursing allowances, that’s why I tell you I will be at the fan the whole time so that you will have the will to carry these, so do you think free SHS is the way it is being run is good? When I was talking about feeding fees, my ten years old son, goes to Agape school here, their feeding fee for a day is Ghc 15 for a decent lunch, is my son better than those kids in the public schools? So if you can’t do it scrap it, these kids when they don’t go to school on weekends you think they don’t eat at home? It will save you Ghc 900 million a year”
Dr. Assibey Yeboah also wants the size of the government reduced. He questioned why some ministries and State institutions must have two to three deputies for no extraordinary work done.
Dr. Mark Assibey Yeboah said micro-economic stability is required hence economic discipline is key to the economic recovery process.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Obed Ansah
