Free SHS benefited 5.7 million pupils, according to Akufo-Addo

Over 5.7 million pupils have benefited from the Free Senior High School (SHS) program since its launch in 2017, according to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who has praised the program's success. During his Tuesday, November 5, 2024, tour of the Western North Region, the President emphasized the policy's revolutionary effect on Ghana's educational system.

President Akufo-Addo said, "The changes that have come in our educational system are dramatic." He emphasized that the Free SHS policy has not only made secondary education more accessible, but it has also removed the financial obstacles that previously kept many students from pursuing higher education. He noted that before the program's inception, financial limitations prevented over 100,000 pupils annually from enrolling in Senior High School (SHS), resulting in the loss of over 1 million students in the previous ten years alone.

On Tuesday, November 5, 2024, the President highlighted the policy's revolutionary effect on Ghana's educational system while on a tour of the Western North Region. President Akufo-Addo said, "The changes that have come in our educational system are dramatic." He said that the Free SHS has made secondary education more accessible and allowed a generation of students to pursue their academic objectives without being constrained by the cost of tuition.

He revealed that before the program, more than 100,000 students annually were unable to continue their education at SHS because of financial limitations, which resulted in the loss of more than a million students during the previous ten years. We had 800,000 senior high school pupils when I took office as president, but that number has more than doubled since then. "The Free SHS policy has benefited 5.7 million students to date," he stated.

Although President Akufo-Addo acknowledged the difficulties encountered in implementing the Free SHS policy, he reaffirmed that these are much outweighed by the advantages it offers. He emphasized how the program has helped families who previously had trouble paying for high school tuition, now enabling their kids to pursue education and greater opportunities for the future. Speaking to detractors, whom he called “Jeremiahs,” he was pleased that the program had demonstrated its worth and overcome criticism. "I promised it would work, and the outcomes are now evident. "Free SHS is revolutionary," he said.

He reiterated his government's dedication to increasing youth educational possibilities, pointing out that the Free SHS program was a key component of his administration's plan for an accessible and inclusive Ghanaian educational system.