Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, has renewed calls for a review of Ghana’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy, urging government to abolish the provision of free uniforms, exercise books and other non-tuition benefits at the secondary school level.
According to him, while access to secondary education should remain a national priority, the continued distribution of such “freebies” under the Free SHS programme is financially unsustainable and diverts resources away from children at the basic school level who need them most.
Speaking on Adom Brands Thought Leadership Forum on the theme, “The Future of Free SHS: Sustain, Reform or Redesign?”, Mr. Asare argued that Ghana is the only country he knows that provides free uniforms to students in secondary schools, despite many pupils in public basic schools lacking similar support.
“Ghana is the only country that gives free uniforms at the secondary level and yet does not do the same for the poor child at the basic level,” he said.
He maintained that if government intends to continue distributing learning materials and clothing, priority should instead be given to pupils in public basic schools.
“If we have free exercise books, free uniforms and other materials to share, they should go to poor public basic school pupils,” Mr. Asare stressed.
The education policy advocate also identified school feeding as the single biggest cost component of the Free SHS programme, saying the provision of meals accounts for a significant share of the policy’s funding burden.
According to him, removing non-essential benefits while protecting free access to education would help make the programme more financially sustainable without compromising enrolment.
Mr. Asare’s comments come amid growing national discussions on the future of the Free SHS policy, with education stakeholders debating whether the flagship programme should be sustained in its current form, reformed to improve efficiency, or redesigned to address funding and quality concerns.
The Thought Leadership Forum brought together education stakeholders to examine practical options for ensuring the long-term sustainability of Free SHS while maintaining equitable access to quality secondary education in Ghana
