Ghana’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) program is a centerpiece of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government and was launched in 2017, with over GH¢8.4 billion ($705 million) invested in the program to date. is being spent.
But analysts say the program ignores the physical infrastructure needed for education. Complaints about lack of dormitories, malfunctioning science labs, lack of teaching materials, poor quality of food, and lack of class time are common.
“We need to evaluate policies that address some of the challenges and smooth out the rough edges,” said Divine Kupe, senior program officer at think tank Africa Education Watch. “Unfortunately, that hasn’t been attempted yet.”
The bulk of the program’s funding comes from oil revenues. According to Steve Manteau, director of the Center for Integrated Social Development, this model is unsustainable.
“If funding from the oil fund and the resources themselves are depleted, students’ education will be at risk. The private sector needs to be encouraged to support this policy. [firms] “Companies have large social responsibility budgets,” he says. africa report.
Data from Africa Education Watch also shows that between 2018 and 2022, The actual allocation for free SHS was less than the budgeted amount.
“Our research shows that it costs parents around GH¢2,000 to purchase the items listed in the prospectus, and an additional GH¢4,000 for food, books, transport, toiletries and transport. This is a high price for many parents, even though SHS is free,” says Kpe.
fraudulent charges
To make up for the shortfall, some schools are said to have introduced fraudulent fees or illegally sold goods to students, which “raises ethical questions and threatens the health of the education system.” It is being undermined,” said Eastern Regional Director of Education, Ivy Asantewa Owusu.
Until policies target students who are truly in need, the problem will remain and standards will decline.It’s mainly a funding issue
Some school principals were accused of demanding money for hymn books and calculators that were paid for under the Free SHS program.
According to the National Association of Graduate Teachers, “While the government has abdicated its responsibility to provide some of the necessary resources, that does not justify principals taking the law into their hands and charging students.” said Angel Carbonu, Chairman of the Board.
“When the government introduced free SHS, we knew it would become a very populist policy and the government would not be able to catch up. And that is exactly what we saw. “It’s about being there,” Carbonu says. “And that’s impacting standards as well.”
twin track problem
Furthermore, with the double tracking introduced in 2018, Inequality and pressure on teachers. The evaluation found that knowledge gaps are widening because poor parents cannot afford private tutoring. Teachers complained of a lack of holidays and recess time.
Approximately 40% of junior high schools use the double-track system, but it was scheduled to be abolished in 2023.
Minister of Education Yaw Adutum believes that the standard of education remains high despite the challenges in the program, noting the high scores recorded in the final year exams.
“I’ve heard some of them [educationists] They say standards have lowered because the number of students has increased. That is not what is happening,” he told Accra-based Adom TV in December.
But Kpe disagrees. “Until we target students who are truly in need, the problem will remain and standards will fall. It’s primarily a funding issue.”
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