Secondary education enrolment up by 50% thanks to Free SHS – Bawumia claims

Government facing funding challenges with the programme

Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has stated that the Free Senior High School, Free SHS, policy of government has greatly impacted on enrolment at the SHS level.

Without giving any figures to back his claim, the Vice President said on Thursday that enrolment had shot up by 50% thanks to the programme which started in 2017.

Dr Bawumia said: “In the last 5 years, our government has committed to increasing access to quality education and providing vehicles to Secondary Schools to support the transportation of our growing population in these schools.

“This government, since 2017, resulting from the President’s Free Senior High School policy, has increased secondary school enrolment to an excess of 1.2 million students.

“Indeed, the introduction of Free SHS has increased the senior high enrolment in Ghana by 50% and this is massive,” he stressed.

The Vice President was speaking at a ceremony at the premises of the Accra High School where he handed over some 75 buses and five pickup trucks to selected public schools.

The Free SHS policy has in recent times attracted calls for review. It is one of the main policies of the government of Ghana, which started in September 2017.

“Every child in Ghana who qualifies for, and is placed in a public Senior High School for his secondary education will have his/her fees absorbed by the government,” the Free SHS secretariat said on its website.

Source : ghanaweb.com