Ghana’s Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has announced a major review of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy aimed at addressing key challenges affecting secondary education across the country.
Speaking during the commissioning of the National Teaching Council regional office complex in Tamale, the minister said the review was being undertaken in fulfilment of the government’s campaign promise ahead of the 2024 general elections.
According to him, the revised policy focuses on three key areas: infrastructure, financing and feeding, and quality assurance.
“The feeding component of the Free Senior High School policy came under review after we realised that, on many occasions, schools had to be closed or students asked to return home during the academic year due to inadequate food supplies. That situation will now become a thing of the past. There are adequate resources and sufficient funding from GETFund to support Free SHS,” he stated.
The minister acknowledged that the sharp increase in secondary school enrolment over the years had not been matched by corresponding infrastructure expansion.
“The other aspect of the review of the Free Senior High School policy concerns infrastructure. Between 2018 and 2024, student enrolment increased threefold, if not fivefold. However, this was not accompanied by commensurate infrastructure expansion to accommodate the growing numbers,” he added.
He also dismissed suggestions that the review signalled a cancellation of the policy, insisting that the reforms were intended to improve and sustain the programme.
“We promised in the NDC manifesto, led by President John Dramani Mahama, that we would review the Free Senior High School policy. Many people chose to interpret ‘review’ to mean ‘cancellation.’ Whether they consulted the Webster Dictionary, my dictionary, or their own, they know that review simply means review,” he said.
The Free SHS policy, introduced in 2017 under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, significantly expanded access to secondary education in Ghana. However, concerns over overcrowding, inadequate infrastructure, delayed funding, and feeding challenges have persisted over the years.
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Story by Albert Otokunor Sampah | univers.ug.edu.gh
Edited by Gabriel Tecco Mensah
