Ghana’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy has undoubtedly expanded access to secondary education, offering thousands of students opportunities that might have otherwise been out of reach.
However, as the policy enters its next phase, a comprehensive audit of its finances is critical to ensure its sustainability and effectiveness.
Accordingly, Dr. Peter Anti Partey, Executive Director of the Institute for Education Studies, IFEST has commended Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of Education, for calling for an audit of the policy’s finances.
He noted that this is a step in the right direction, as it will reveal the program’s true cost and provide clarity on resource allocation and utilization.
“[It is] very important because the cost of planning influences budgeting and other things. So if you don’t get the numbers right, you’re going to have problems with the plans that you are going to make for the particular students.
“I think the first thing that you have to look at is to ascertain how much is spent on each student. I think the last time I also checked, it seems that every semester government is spending somewhere around GHC 1,200, or GHC 1,300 for each student. That is every semester. So if you put the two semesters together, you’re looking at somewhere around GHC 2,500 for a year”.
Dr. Peter Anti Partey
Dr. Anti Partey stressed the importance of reviewing the expenditures under the Free SHS policy to ensure transparency and efficiency.
He highlighted the need to determine the exact amount spent on each student and to analyze the components of this expenditure, noting that costs for boarding students differ from those for day students.
He also underscored the significance of verifying the actual number of students enrolled in secondary schools.
According to him, accurate data from the placement unit and schools is essential to align with the budgeting process and ensure a balanced allocation of resources.
Additionally, Dr. Anti Partey recommended auditing the student enrollment figures for each secondary school and breaking down per-student expenses into components such as exam fees, uniforms, and other related items to gain a clearer understanding of the policy’s cost structure.
He emphasized analyzing cost drivers to better manage the student budget and identify less impactful expenses. “So there’s a whole lot of audits that the government would have to do to be able to be sure that they are really having value for money”.
Discrepancies in Free SHS Enrollment Data Highlighted
Furthermore, Dr. Peter Anti Partey expressed concern over the challenges in obtaining accurate enrolment data for the Free SHS program.
He noted discrepancies in figures, pointing out that the 5.7 million and the earlier 5.1 million reported are inconsistent with official records reviewed.
He pointed out that according to school placement data, annual enrolments are typically around 3.4 million, which aligns more closely with the Ministry of Finance’s figure of 3.1 million.
“So if you look at it, you might be able to say that, yes, some people are placed, but they are not able to enroll. If you want to look at it from the point of view of those who have written BEC, that number is around 4.1 million.
“And it’s understandable because not all those who write BECE are able to enroll. So normally the number of BECE candidates that write their exams would be higher than those who enroll”.
Dr. Peter Anti Partey
He emphasized the need for an audit of school placements and enrollment data to determine the actual figures, noting that the most reliable numbers converge around 3.1 to 3.4 million.
Accordingly, he maintained that an audit of its finances should not be seen as a fault-finding mission but as a tool for strengthening its implementation.
As the nation seeks to balance accessibility with quality education, financial accountability must remain at the heart of the conversation.
If Ghana is to secure the future of its youth through Free SHS, we must first ensure that every cedi spent truly counts.
