Ghana’s free senior high school (Free SHS) programme, a flagship of Nana Akufo-Addo’s presidency, was launched in 2017 and more than GH¢8.4bn ($705m) has been spent on it so far.
Yet, say analysts, the programme has neglected the physical infrastructure needed for education. Complaints about the lack of dormitories, dysfunctional science laboratories, insufficient teaching materials, low meal quality and inadequate class hours are common.
“We should evaluate the policy to address some of the challenges and smooth out the rough edges,” says Divine Kpe, a senior programme officer at think tank Africa Education Watch. “Unfortunately, no attempt has been made yet.”
A large proportion of the funding for the programme has come from crude oil revenue. This model is unsustainable, according to Steve Manteaw, director of the Integrated Social Development Centre.
“Students’ education is at risk if money from our oil fund or the resource itself gets depleted. The private sector must be encouraged to support the policy since some [firms] have large corporate social responsibility budgets,” he tells The Africa Report.
Data from Africa Education Watch also shows that between 2018-2022, actual allocations to Free SHS were less than budgeted amounts.
“Our research shows that it costs parents about GH¢2,000 to buy items on the prospectus and an additional GH¢4,000 on provisions, books, transport, toiletries and transport, in spite of the Free SHS, and this is high for many parents,” says Kpe.
Unauthorised fees
To fill shortfalls, some schools allegedly introduced unauthorised fees and illegally sold items to students, raising “ethical questions and undermining the educational system’s integrity”, says Ivy Asantewaa Owusu, Eastern Regional education director.
Until we target the policy to truly needy students, problems will remain and standards will fall. It’s largely a financing problem
Some of the school heads were accused of charging fees for hymn books and calculators which have been paid for under the Free SHS programme.
According to the National Association of Graduate Teachers: “The government has reneged on its responsibility to provide some of the needed resources but that does not justify school heads taking the law into your hands and charging students,” the association’s president Angel Carbonu says.
“When the government introduced the Free SHS, we knew that it was going to be a very populist policy and the government will not be able to keep up, and that is exactly what we are seeing,” says Carbonu. “And it is affecting the standards.”
Twin track issues
In addition, a double-track system introduced in 2018 has led to inequality and pressure on teachers. Assessments found it widened knowledge gaps as poor parents couldn’t afford private tutoring. Teachers complained of no holidays or rest periods.
About 40% of secondary schools use the double-track system, which was to be phased out in 2023.
Minister for education Yaw Adutwum believes education standards are still high in spite of the programme’s challenges, pointing to high scores recorded in final-year exams.
“I’ve heard some of them [educationists] say standards have fallen because enrolment has gone up. That is not what is happening,” he said on Accra-based Adom TV in December.
But Kpe disagrees: “Until we target the policy to truly needy students, problems will remain and standards will fall. It’s largely a financing problem.”
Understand Africa’s tomorrow… today
We believe that Africa is poorly represented, and badly under-estimated. Beyond the vast opportunity manifest in African markets, we highlight people who make a difference; leaders turning the tide, youth driving change, and an indefatigable business community. That is what we believe will change the continent, and that is what we report on. With hard-hitting investigations, innovative analysis and deep dives into countries and sectors, The Africa Report delivers the insight you need.