The free SHS policy was introduced to alleviate financial burdens on parents while providing quality and accessible secondary education in Ghana. However, a recent report by Africa Education Watch, along with public concerns, suggest that this free education comes with hidden fees. It became the gamechanger for education in the country giving opportunity for more
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The free SHS policy was introduced to alleviate financial burdens on parents while providing quality and accessible secondary education in Ghana.
However, a recent report by Africa Education Watch, along with public concerns, suggest that this free education comes with hidden fees.
It became the gamechanger for education in the country giving opportunity for more children who hitherto could not have had the chance to go to school.
The free SHS policy, a revolutionary step towards equitable education, has seen a remarkable 50% increase in the annual enrolment rate since its implementation in 2017.
President Akufo-Addo, the champion of the free SHS initiative, during its launch in September 2017 highlighted its aim.
“From this day on, we lift the financial burden off parents, and the heart-rending anxiety that accompanies the beginning of every school term. We have a sacred duty to our children and the generations beyond in ensuring that irrespective of their circumstance, their right to education is preserved.”
However, over the past 6 years of its implementation, there have been a myriad of challenges spanning from financial constraints to infrastructure deficit.
“My problem is with the day and boarding accommodation status. How can my ward be going to Accra Senior High School as a day student when he’s staying at Kade. The school nearby is a technical school but my ward is a science student and the other school is also a girls school and he’s a boy so I can’t take him to a school closer.” A parent bitterly explained.
The African Education Watch conducted comprehensive research on the implication of the free SHS policy, highlighting concerns about the policy’s budget credibility.
“The budget credibility is simply looking at how much government committed in the annual budget to the free senior high school program per what government actually have released at the end of the academic year. Once you have the budget credibility declining, what it means is that it will affect the policy implementation because if you project to spend ‘X’ amount on the policy which probably you feel is the ideal amount to be spent, but at the end of the year you were able to spend only about a half of the money, clearly there will be challenges and we are not surprised we are witnessing challenges like, the food challenges,” he said.
The Senior Programme Officer at the Africa Education Watch, Divine Kpe, outlined some recommendations for consideration.
“The wholesale application of the policy is not even financially sustainable. So, to ensure financial sustainability of the policy, we strongly believe that there is a need to target the policy where it should have the resources for government to be able to effectively implement it. Parents that are actually in the lowest world quintiles that would have been having their household annual expenditure income averaging about GHC5,000 to GHC8,000 should be given the benefit to have their wards enroll freely on the policy,” he suggested.
Between the 2019-20 and 2022-23 academic years, challenges emerged as 194,862 BECE graduates who had been placed in secondary schools could not initially attend, mainly due to financial constraints.
Currently, parents are spending an average of GHC6,477 per student, which is GHC4,771 more than the government’s expenditure on each student under the Free SHS program. This financial burden has notably increased by GHC3,403 since the policy’s introduction in 2017, according to a report by the African Education Watch.
For some parents, the challenges encountered in taking their wards to school is overwhelming.
“I have 2 children in Senior High School, and I spend over GHC8,000 in buying items for one. I plead with the President to reduce the prices for us so we can also take our children to school.” Patience Baah said.
“The free SHS was good when it started at first but it’s burdensome now. I spent over GHC8,000 to take my ward to school.” Twum Amponsah said.
The experts have spoken, recommendations are made, and concerns raised. Whether the incumbent government and successive governments will act on them remains to be seen.
By Sarfoa Boahene
The post Free SHS policy: Free at a fee first appeared on 3News.
