Akufo-Addo, Bawumia and Kennedy Agyapong’s claim that 5.7 million students have benefitted from Free SHS false

-

Claim: Kennedy Agyapong has repeated the claim that 5.7 million people benefitted from Free SHS during the NPP’s final rally.

Verdict: False

Explanation

According to the Ministry of Finance, the total beneficiaries of the Free SHS policy from 2017 to 2024 are 3,135,754.

This figure is 2,564,246 lower than the 5.7 million President Akufo-Addo and  NPP forerunner Kennedy Agyapong mentioned.

Year (Mid-Year Budget Statement) Academic Year Total First-Year Enrolment
2018 2017/2018 (Cohort 1) 362,118
2019 2018/2019 (Cohort 2) 432,791
2020 2019/2020 (Cohort 3) 404,851
2021 2020/2021 (Cohort 4) 423,320
2022 2021/2022 (Cohort 5) 555,353
2023 2022/2023 (Cohort 6) 447,396
2024 2023/2024 (Cohort 7) 509,925
Total Beneficiaries 3,135,754

Source: Ghana Fact-Checking Coalition

ALSO READ: