Ghana's Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Professor Samuel M. Quartey, has said the free Senior High School promise by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is a fallacy.
He said the promise being championed by the NPP presidential candidate for Election 2012, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, could not be supported by the present state of the economy.
Mr Quartey was addressing a night encounter organized by the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to showcase development projects that were executed in the constituency on video clip, at Gomoa Ankamu near Apam.
He said: "any attempt to introduce free SHS in the country now can only mean compromising on mediocrity. Presently, quality education cannot be provided without parents or guardians paying something towards education".
Prof. Quartey said the NDC was not against free SHS but the party was of the view that the time was not yet ripped for such a venture.
He said: "There are a lot of things to be done before free SHS can work perfectly and efficiently in the country".
Prof. Quartey said government should provide additional classrooms and dormitories and train more teachers to make SHS accessible.
He said: "if the economy is good, the School Feeding Programme for instance would have covered all primary schools."
Mr Theophilus Aidoo-Mensah, Gomoa West District Chief Executive, said the NDC government has invested education since it came to power in 2009.
He mentioned the construction of classrooms and dormitories provision of free school uniforms and others as government's interventions to ensure that quality education in the country.
Mr Francis Kojo Arthur, Member of Parliament for Gomoa West, appealed to political parties to base their campaign on issues not on insults.