Education policy advocate Kwasi Gyetuah has proposed reforms to Ghana’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy, suggesting that government should focus on funding day schooling while parents who can afford boarding education contribute towards its cost.
Speaking during Adom TV’s thought leadership discussion on “The Future of Free SHS: Sustain, Reform or Redesign?”, Mr. Gyetuah argued that boarding education is an additional service rather than the core component of secondary education.
“Boarding education is just an add-on. School takes place during the day,” he said.
According to him, government should continue to bear the cost of tuition and day schooling, while parents who choose boarding facilities for their children should assume responsibility for the additional expenses.
He explained that such an arrangement would reduce the financial burden on the state and allow government to redirect resources to improving the quality of education.
Mr. Gyetuah further suggested that under such a model, government could provide one meal a day for students, while savings made from boarding costs could be invested in improving teaching and learning.
He also called for increased investment in supervised study periods, popularly known as “prep,” to encourage independent learning and improve students’ academic performance.
“We should invest more in prep time so that students can learn on their own,” he said.
Mr. Gyetuah stressed that the Free SHS programme has evolved beyond partisan politics and should be treated as a national policy that enjoys the support of all governments regardless of political affiliation.
“Free SHS has become a national policy and does not belong to any political party,” he stated.
He also appealed to parents with the financial capacity to support the implementation of the programme by contributing towards aspects of their children’s education.
“Where parents can afford it, they should also help government,” he said.
Mr. Gyetuah maintained that greater collaboration between government and parents, coupled with targeted reforms, would enhance the long-term sustainability and quality of the Free SHS policy.
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