Free SHS is expensive – Parents bemoan as over 137,000 students fail to report to school due to lack of funds

The GES has indicated that some 137,000 students failed to report to school when school resumed on December 16 and when students returned to school on January 3, 2024, after the Christmas break.

While the government may want to attribute this to other factors, parents have disclosed that the reason why 137,000 (22%) SHS1 students did not report to school out of the over 590,000 students expected in SHS1 for the 2023–3024 academic year is because the free SHS has become expensive.

In an earlier publication on this matter, the team lead at Ghanaeducation.org, Mr. Wisdom Hammond, outlined the reasons why the students did not report to school. Just like parents, he explained the cost involved in enrolling a student in a boarding school, for instance, as a contributing factor.

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He added that the following reasons,

1. Long commutes: Some students placed in distant day schools may switch to private schools closer to home.
2. Doubtful data: The reported number of unreported students might be inaccurate due to potential data flaws.
3. Academic performance: Poor grades due to long commutes might lead some students to retake exams, delaying school enrollment.
4. Financial limitations: The inability to afford boarding school expenses could push some students towards apprenticeships.
5. School quality: Poor facilities in some schools might drive parents to seek better education in private schools.

According to parents who were interviewed by Metro TV on the matter, they indicated that they could not afford the extra expenses that come with the free SHS.

The Western Regional Chairman of the National Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (NCPTAs), Daniel Romelayer, said the government’s decision not to allow parents to offer any form of assistance to the schools will negatively affect the Free SHS Policy, considering the challenges many of the Free SHSs have been subjected to in the absence of PTA support for the schools.

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He called on parents to allow their children to report to school despite the challenges.

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Before the pronouncement by parents that the Free SHS is expensive, the flag bearer and former President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, has been horning the need for the review of the Free SHS; however, the Minister for Education, Dr. Adutwum, and the ruling NPP have stated emphatically that the Free SHS does not need a review but an improvement. Mahama has also assured Ghanaians that the true benefits of free SHS will be realized under his administration.