Free SHS: Appiah-Danquah on why elite schools must reconsider fee payment

Private legal practitioner Andrew Appiah Danquah has weighed in on calls for students in elite Senior High Schools (SHSs) to pay tu38016469ition fees.

He argued that the government cannot continue to shoulder the full financial burden of running schools with limited resources.

According to him, Ghana needs to rethink its approach to funding and managing some of its leading schools by introducing partnerships that allow families who can afford quality education to contribute towards the cost.

Free SHS extended to private schools; government to pay GH¢1,500 per student per term

Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on Friday, August 14, 2026, Appiah-Danquah said the current system of government control over schools was restricting investment and innovation in the education sector.

He pointed to the contributions of former students and individuals to the development of some of Ghana’s top schools, saying that such support demonstrates the potential for alternative funding models.

He cited projects being undertaken by old students at schools including Achimota, Presby Boys’ Secondary School and Pope John Senior High School as examples of how individuals and alumni groups continue to invest heavily in educational infrastructure.

Appiah-Danquah questioned why the government should bear the entire cost of running such schools when some parents are capable of paying for high-quality education.

He proposed a system where families who can afford it be allowed to pay fees while a significant portion of places is reserved for students who are academically capable but unable to afford the cost.

“If people are paying, and they are been given quality, private-level education to the standard of Cambridge and others, nobody will take their children outside,” he said.

He suggested that the government could redirect some of the resources currently spent across better-endowed schools to less-endowed institutions to help improve their infrastructure and learning conditions.

According to him, such an approach could help reduce the financial pressure on government while ensuring that poorer students are not denied access to quality education.

He also advocated greater involvement of faith-based organisations in the management of schools, noting that many of Ghana’s leading institutions have historical links to churches and other religious bodies.

He argued that government’s role should increasingly focus on regulation, support and ensuring equitable access rather than maintaining complete control over every school.

“Governments should find a way of releasing a bit of their so-called control,” he said.

He further pointed to education systems in the United Kingdom and the United States, where significant responsibilities for educational infrastructure are decentralised to local authorities.

Danquah believes Ghana could adopt elements of such models while establishing a system that guarantees scholarships or free places for students who genuinely need financial support.

He said this would allow the government to concentrate its limited resources on schools that lack the strong alumni networks and private support enjoyed by some of the country’s elite institutions.

NA/VPO