I will not cancel Free SHS – Mahama’s bold declaration at SONA

by Wisdom K.E Hammond · February 27, 2025

I will not cancel Free SHS… this is the latest bold declaration by Presdident John Mahama during State of the Nations Address (SONA). President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his commitment to the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme, assuring Ghanaians that his administration has no intention of cancelling it.

Delivering his State of the Nation Address to the 9th Parliament on Thursday, February 27, 2025, President Mahama emphasized that his government is focused on improving the implementation of the programme.

“Mr. Speaker, once again for emphasis, and for the record, I, John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, will not cancel the free SHS programme. I am determined to make it better by improving its implementation,” President Mahama stated.

According to President Mahama, the Free SHS programme has improved access to education, but its implementation has been plagued by challenges.

He noted that the actual number of beneficiaries since its inception is about 3.4 million, contradicting the 5.1 million figure previously reported by the Akufo-Addo government, which he described as an “exaggerated and false narrative calculated to achieve political credit”.

The President also highlighted his administration’s efforts to address the challenges facing the education sector.

READ: Education Issues In the 7th State of the Nation Address (SONA) by President John Dramani Mahama

He announced the restoration of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) and emphasized the importance of community participation in the administration of schools.

Additionally, he noted that the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) will ensure that PTAs do not impose unbearable financial burdens on parents and students.

To address the issue of overcrowding and infrastructure deficits, President Mahama announced that his government is committed to accelerating school infrastructure expansion and completing stalled projects. He also revealed that efforts are underway to improve secondary school feeding, including decentralizing food management and strengthening procurement and store management capacity.