The President of the Ghana Bar Association(GBA), Yaw Acheampong Boafo, has joioned the calls for the restructuring of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
During his speech at the Ghana Bar Association’s 2024/2025 annual general conference in Kumasi on September 9, Mr. Boafo emphasized the need to rectify the perceived inequities in the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy. He suggested that students from more affluent backgrounds should help cover their education costs to provide greater support for those from less privileged families.
“Students from comfortable backgrounds who attended costly basic schools should contribute to SHS fees, allowing resources to be directed towards supporting poorer students.”
He further emphasized the need to prioritize improvements in basic education, such as eliminating schools under trees and providing sanitary products for girls in need.
“Basic education should be prioritized over secondary education. Our focus must be on investing in public schools and addressing the needs of underprivileged students before allocating significant funds to secondary education.”
Mr. Boafo acknowledged the positive impact of the Free SHS policy in expanding educational access but argued for a more equitable approach. He proposed that the policy be means-tested using data from the National Identification Authority to prevent exploitation by affluent families.
However, president Akufo-Addo defended the Free SHS policy, stressing its role in ensuring that public secondary schools remains accessible to all, particularly those who would otherwise be unable to afford it.
Mr. president also highlighted the success of the policy, which has seen the number of students accessing secondary education double since its inception.
“People who can afford to pay fees for the education of their wards should send them to fee-paying private schools. Public schools that are funded by the taxpayer should be free to all who will otherwise be unable to pay for their education.”
“Over 5.7 million persons have benefited from the policy since its inception. The following impact of this dramatic development will be felt in due course and will far outweigh the small number of privileged parents who can afford to pay for the education of their wards,” he added.
