Free SHS Must Prioritise Category C, D Schools – CPS

The Centre for Policy Scrutiny (CPS) has urged the reallocation of resources under Ghana’s Free Senior High School (SHS) programme to focus on Category C and D schools, aiming to bridge the current opportunity gap that benefits already well-resourced schools. In the report "Improved Access, Quality Questioned: A Report on 9 Years of Ghana’s Free Senior High School (SHS) Policy," Dr. Jacob Oppong Nkansah revealed that the experience of Free SHS varied significantly across schools.

Schools were categorized under A, B, C, and D by the Ghana Education Service (GES), which reflect their prestige, resources, and performance. This categorisation has, in practice, deepened rather than reduced inequalities in the secondary education sector. Dr. Nkansah emphasized the need to rebalance resource distribution towards disadvantaged (Category C/D) schools to close the gap that currently favours well-resourced schools.

The study involved 47 participants and recommended that Free SHS be legally defined to include tuition, textbooks, uniforms, boarding, and other hidden costs, and that it be protected through bipartisan legislation requiring a parliamentary supermajority for any future amendments. The report, which covered Ghana’s geographical zones, highlighted issues such as overcrowded classrooms, dormitories, and dining halls, infrastructure deficits, and their negative impact on teaching effectiveness, student welfare, and health conditions.