Dr. Apaak slams Akufo-Addo's claim of 5.7 million Free SHS beneficiaries as 'blatant lie'

The Deputy Ranking Member of the Education Committee of Parliament, Dr. Clement Apaak, has described as a “blatant lie” President Akufo-Addo’s claim that 5.7 million young people have benefited from the Free Senior High School (FSHS) program.

This criticism follows President Akufo-Addo’s assertion during his State of the Nation Address that 5.7 million young people had benefited from the FSHS initiative.

Speaking on Starr Today with Joshua Kojo Mensah, Dr. Apaak vehemently rejected the president’s statement, labeling it a “blatant lie.”

He explained that based on actual enrollment statistics since the program’s inception in 2017, only 3.1 million students had been enrolled as of 2024.

He clarified that this figure represented total enrollments, not the number of students who had completed their secondary education.

“Claiming that 5.7 million have benefited from the Free Senior High School program is a blatant lie. If you look at the enrollment statistics from 2017, when the first cohort under the policy entered secondary school, up to this year, 2024, it is only 3.1 million students. And I am not even talking about completions; I am talking about enrollments,” the Builsa South lawmaker stated.

Dr. Apaak argued that it was impossible for an ongoing policy to have already benefited 5.7 million students, as the president had claimed.

Additionally, he highlighted an alarming issue with a 10% cheating rate among students during the WASSCE, a figure he described as unprecedented.

While acknowledging that the Free SHS policy has provided access to education for many young people, Dr. Apaak stressed that its implementation had been flawed. He suggested that poor execution of the program was a key reason for the growing dissatisfaction among Ghanaians with the current administration.

According to Dr. Apaak, this dissatisfaction could lead to the return of former President John Mahama, who is believed to be capable of ensuring the policy’s sustainability.

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