The Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy saw all 2017 SHS entrants accessing free education which will continue throughout their three-year stay in school. The policy intervention took care of tuition fees, library fees, provision of free textbooks, free access to boarding facilities, the free provision of meals, the coverage of examinations, science laboratory, and utility fees.
In the first year of its implementation in 2017, a total of 362,775 students who had written the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) and been placed into any public SHS through the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) benefitted from the programme. This showcased a 53,976 enrollment increment against the previous year’s total number of 308,799.
Data provided by the FSHS Secretariat indicates that between 2017 and 2023, a total of 2,565,430 students have benefitted from this programme. The highest enrollment occurred in 2023, with a total of 503,000.
Background
The commencement of the 2017 academic year in Ghana for Senior High Schools saw the fulfillment of a campaign promise that had been sounded in the ears of Ghanaians severely since 2008. It was the main campaign message the new government had rode on to be voted into power in December 2016. It further seemed like a victory for “access to education for all.”
This also came to fulfill part of a provision made in our constitution. The 1992 Constitution of Ghana, Article 25 1b, rightly indicated that “Secondary education in its different forms including technical and vocational education, shall be made generally available and accessible to all by every appropriate means, and in particular, by the progressive introduction of free education.” Again, this came as a win for Ghana towards attaining the SDG Goal 4, which sought to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong education for all.
To date, the funding source(s) for this programme has not been made comprehensively clear by the government. However, over the years, the former Minister of Finance disclosed that part of the Annual Budget Funding Amount (ABFA) had been channeled toward the FSHS programme. Also, the President of the nation, H.E Nana Akuffo Addo disclosed on 25th March 2017 at Krobo Girls SHS on the event of their 90th anniversary that some proceeds from some of our natural resources will be used to fund the programme. Dr. Steve Manteaw, co-chair of Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, revealed that over 1.8 billion of crude oil revenue goes into financing FSHS every year.
After seven years of its implementation, this programme has come with its success stories as well as limitations. Let us consider some.
Successes of the Free SHS Programme
The major success of this programme has been the increase in student enrollment. Families and individuals who hitherto could not have afforded the cost that comes with secondary education in the country can now access it at no cost. Secondary education through the FSHS programme recorded its highest number of enrollment throughout the history of secondary education in Ghana in 2023 with a total enrollment of 503,000.
Also, this programme has consistently since 2019 seen more females being registered and sitting the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). This has a direct impact on SDG Goal 5, specifically the target one, which describes the end to discrimination against women and girls, including in education.
Limitations
The FSHS programme has come with its shortfalls and limitations. On top of these limitations is the very much worrying absence of a clear policy document that is rightly guiding and steering the programme. Till date, the government has not submitted any bill to Parliament for review and further engagement with stakeholders. There is no evidence of proper planning.
This was evidenced in 2018 when the Ministry of Education was forced to introduce the double track system in our Senior High Schools to accommodate more students. The Minister at the time explained that the double track was needed as the continuity of the traditional three terms that have been in place would demand that the government put up over four hundred schools in a space of four months. He specifically used the word “realized!”. The double track is still in place. Students are forced to spend less time in school reducing and degrading teacher-student contact hours.
The 2023 First-year batch has spent two semesters already in school without any form of examination to assess them. This is similar for all year groups leaving so much room for questioning whether the FSHS came to strengthen or demean the quality of our secondary education in the country.
Finally, the FSHS programme excluded private schools even though it is clear that public schools alone cannot contain all the students that qualify for SHS every year.
The Way Forward
First, the government through the Ministry of Education should carefully produce a policy document that will be submitted to parliament for extensive consultations and deliberations for approval to be assent into a bill. Education is too vital and must be guided.
Secondly, the government should speed up the construction and completion of additional facilities and consider private school participation in Free SHS to properly accommodate students. This will necessitate the cancellation of the double-track system and pave the way for revisiting the traditional three-term method which left lesser to no room for questioning the quality of education in the country.
Moreover, the government should do a broader stakeholder consultation that will target the raising of funds from private and other sectors of the economy for the FSHS implementation. Experts have noted with much concern that institutions such as Ghana Cocobod, AngloGold Ashanti, Goldfields, Unilever, and others had scholarship and sponsorship packages that took care of certain individuals’ secondary education in Ghana. With proper consultation and negotiations, these institutions could be brought on board to help finance the FSHS with the scholarship and sponsorship funds they used to have. This will help ensure the sustainability of the programme as it is presently one flagship project that puts a lot of pressure on the government’s annual budget challenging its sustainability.
Finally, the government should expand the programme to cover private SHS in the country. This further strengthens our democracy by considering this minority group. This will also help expand infrastructure thereby reducing the government’s burden of constructing additional facilities to eventually eliminate the double-track system and revisit the traditional three terms.
Article by
ASAMOAH ISAAC ELI
He is a Development Planning expert. He holds a Bachelor degree from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. He shares in the ideals of free market and civil liberty. He is also a strong advocate for mental health awareness and climate change mitigation interventions. He leads the policy scholars team at YAFO Institute.
