Free SHS took discipline and bold leadership, not rhetoric – Dr Opoku Prempeh tells Harvard

Former Minister for Education and 2024 vice-presidential running mate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has underscored that Ghana’s flagship Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy was driven by “discipline, structure, and clarity of leadership,” rather than mere political promises.

Speaking as a Faculty Member at the Harvard Ministerial Leadership Programme at Harvard University, Dr Opoku Prempeh (NAPO) shared Ghana’s experience in implementing the Free SHS policy, presenting it as a practical case study for public officials from across the world.

According to him, the policy goes beyond expanding access to education and demonstrates how governments can translate national commitments into tangible and sustainable outcomes.

“This engagement is particularly meaningful,” he noted, recalling his first participation in the programme in 2017 during his tenure as Education Minister and his subsequent recognition with the Ministerial Medal of Achievement in 2020 for his role in repositioning the Ministry and successfully rolling out the Free SHS initiative.

Dr Opoku Prempeh described his return to the programme, this time as a Faculty Member, as both a privilege and an opportunity to contribute to global discussions on leadership and public policy.

He expressed optimism that sharing Ghana’s experience will support policymakers from different countries to strengthen governance delivery systems and improve outcomes in their respective jurisdictions.

The former Minister further emphasised that impactful leadership requires more than vision, stressing the importance of execution, consistency and accountability in delivering large-scale public interventions such as Free SHS.

Touching on developments back home, Dr Opoku Prempeh also commented on the recent tensions between the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, and the GETFund Administrator, Paul Adjei, urging restraint and prioritisation of students’ welfare.

“When two elephants fight, it’s the grass that suffers. I pray that whatever differences won’t affect students’ academic work,” he said.

“As politicians within the same party, they need not be friends but must work to deliver in the interest of students, parents, teachers, schools and citizens,” he added.

His participation is part of broader engagements aimed at deepening international collaboration and knowledge sharing on effective governance and leadership in the public sector, while also reflecting his continued interest in Ghana’s education sector and policy direction.

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