Ghana’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme continues to leave families with financial obligations despite the government’s policy of removing major costs associated with secondary education, a new review by the Centre for Policy Scrutiny (CPS) has found.
Presenting the report, “Improved Access, Quality Questioned: A Report on 9 Years of Ghana’s Free Senior High School (SHS) Policy” on Tuesday, September 2026, lead researcher, Dr Jacob Oppong Nkansah said the policy had achieved significant gains in access but had also created new challenges that needed urgent attention.
Dr Nkansah said the removal of tuition fees and government coverage of boarding, feeding and core learning materials had provided substantial financial relief to households.
However, he said the policy’s “free” label did not necessarily mean that families had been completely relieved of education-related expenses.
The study identified prospectus requirements and other routinely hidden costs as continuing burdens on parents and guardians.
It further found that the double-track system, introduced to accommodate the sharp increase in enrolment, following the introduction of Free SHS, had reduced students’ instructional contact time. This, in some instances, had led parents to pay for extra classes to supplement classroom teaching.
The researchers are, therefore, calling on the government to clearly define what “free” means under the Free SHS policy and explicitly identify the costs that should be covered, including tuition, textbooks, uniforms, boarding and other routinely hidden expenses.
Dr Nkansah said the quality of education also remained a major concern, particularly because the rapid expansion of access had not been matched with adequate resources in all schools.
According to the report, Ghana’s A–D school categorisation has resulted in significantly different experiences for students.
While Category A schools generally have stronger existing resources, Category C and D schools are dealing with overcrowded classrooms and dining halls, shortages of food and furniture, deteriorating dormitories and delays in receiving textbooks and other learning materials.
The report also described overcrowding in classrooms, dormitories and dining halls as a health and student welfare concern, warning that the problem goes beyond inconvenience and could affect students’ wellbeing.
Speaking at the forum, Dr. Adu Owusu Sarkodie, on behalf of the Centre for Policy Scrutiny, defended the broader rationale for government’s investment in Free SHS, describing it as one of the most transformative social programmes of Ghana’s Fourth Republic.
He said the Centre, established in August 2025, had undertaken research and advocacy on a range of economic and social policy issues and subsequently engaged stakeholders through public forums and youth dialogues to discuss its findings.
Dr. Sarkodie said the Free SHS review was particularly important because secondary education had significant social, economic and human-capital benefits for the country.
He argued that education could help reduce poverty and improve Ghana’s Human Development Index, while a more educated population would contribute to a more productive workforce.
According to him, the economic justification for Free SHS went beyond preparing students for university or other tertiary institutions.
He said Ghana needs an educated workforce across the informal economy, including farmers, mechanics, traders, drivers and other artisans, arguing that secondary education could improve professionalism, productivity and incomes in those sectors.
Dr Sarkodie also noted the growing political acceptance of Free SHS, saying it was significant that the country’s major political parties had come to recognise that the policy had become an important part of Ghana’s education system.
He acknowledged, however, that the programme was not without challenges, particularly congestion resulting from the increase in enrolment.
He argued that such challenges should be addressed through reforms rather than used as a basis for abandoning the policy.
“Having a congested classroom is not the best. But it’s far better than having the people denied education because of lack of access to finance,” he said.
Dr. Sarkodie urged stakeholders to focus on improving the implementation of Free SHS while preserving the access and financial-relief gains achieved since its introduction in 2017.
The CPS report similarly concludes that the policy’s future depends on addressing its equity, quality and governance gaps rather than reversing the programme.
The CPS report was prepared by Dr Nkansah, Papa Kojo Botsio, Dr. Adu Owusu Sarkodie and Stephanie Anokyewa Tawiah.
For more news, join The Chronicle Newspaper channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBSs55E50UqNPvSOm2z
