Free SHS Is An Investment Policy – GES PRO

Kwasi Kwarteng, who serves as the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the Ghana Education Service (GES), has encouraged citizens of Ghana to view the Free Senior High School (SHS) initiative as a form of investment policy.

He emphasized that like any investment, significant resources need to be allocated to maintain and enhance the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy to achieve the desired quality standards.

Mr. Kwarteng contended that a large portion of Ghanaians perceive the policy as a costly endeavor, draining significant resources from the state and consequently impacting other sectors. He noted that this viewpoint has obscured the benefits of the policy for many individuals.

He participated in JoyNews’ National Dialogue concerning the Free Senior High School (SHS) Promise on Thursday, March 21.

“I have always insisted that it all boils down to how you see the policy, whether you see it as an investment policy or a policy of expenditure. If you see it as an investment, your narrative, your thinking, and your embracing of the policy will be different from how you see it when you consider it as an expenditure.”

“I have heard sections of Ghanaians saying that other sectors of the economy probably are not doing well because they believe that a lot of money is being channeled into the Free SHS policy,” he said.

He asserted that within the Education Ministry, education predominantly revolves around three fundamental pillars: Access, quality, and relevance. He emphasized that the ministry rigorously evaluates the impact of these factors and remains steadfast in its commitment to catalyzing socio-economic transformation in the lives of Ghanaians.

Mr. Kwartey emphasized that the primary objective behind the government’s investment in the Free SHS policy is to enhance access to education. He argued that since the inception of this flagship program, a greater number of individuals have gained access to secondary education, thereby fostering positive effects on overall development.

“The SHS policy is an investment policy. Investment in the areas of assets. If you look at the enrollment data for instance in 2014, in terms of the number of students that were placed, that is 386,412. Out of this number, only 273,152. This is about 17.69% actually, went to school.

“Now compare these same figures to 2023. In 2023, 554,034 SHS students were placed and out of these numbers, you have 504,580 apparently taking up the admission and getting enrolled. That’s about 91.7%.

“Beyond that, beyond even the percentage statistics, let me make it simple terms for you. Before the free SHS policy, every year when students graduate from BECE and they have to go to the senior high schools, at least you have a minimum of 100,000 students that were denied access to higher education.

“Of course, largely because of these cost barriers that we’ve already highlighted. And even the number of students that also proceed to the senior high schools, by the time they get to second year you have about 20% of them dropping,” he said.