The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for 2024 elections, John Drammani Mahama has promised that under his next government, teachers will be free to speak their minds and criticize the governing without being persecuted.

Former president Mahama said this when he was addressing a gathering of party faithfuls in Yendi, at the Gbewaa palace yesterday, February 5, as part of his activities to commence his Building Ghana Tour of the area.

“If you are a headmaster and talk anything critical about the government’s educational policy, they will rather sack you or they will transfer you. Our children have no textbooks and no headmaster can talk. I can talk because they can’t do anything to me. The headteachers and the teachers are all afraid to talk. Because this a very oppressive government. Very intolerant and unforgiven”, he said.

“You must not criticize them. And so I said that the independence day, for all the teachers and headmasters, who know what is wrong but they can not talk, the second independence day, apart from Ghana’s independence day is coming for them on 7th January, 2024. They will be free to talk, because, we need criticism in order to improve the system. If things are not going on well, and you say people should shut up. Then you can never get it right. And so under us, they must be free to talk so that you know what is going on wrong”, president Mahama added.

He also added that his government will cancel teachers licensure exams, stating that it will be part of the teachers’ final year academic work, so that when they come out, they don’t have to take another exams to become teachers.

According to him, his next government will also take off the students loan scheme and quota system, hoping that it will enable them to bring more students into the various colleges.

“Right now because they have reintroduced the allowance which does not even come, they restrict the number of people who can come into the school. Because they can not pay the allowance. But I will appeal on your behalf”, the former president and leader of NDC said.

“So I am talking to president Akufo-Addo and vice president, Bawumia, that the students that they promised the allowance are seating here with me in Yendi and they are asking you to come and pay their allowances. That they haven’t received their allowances, maybe you have forgotten. They said I should remind you, that they are waiting for their allowances. Please, pay them!”, he concluded.