The Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) is recommending that the government direct the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy towards children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
According to him, government must utilize data from the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) program as a basis.
Eduwatch noted that the government currently maintains a database of over 346,019 impoverished households nationwide through the LEAP program, where cash grants are distributed bi-monthly.
In its report on the Financial Burden Analysis of the Free SHS Policy and Implications on Equitable Access, Eduwatch emphasized that targeting lower-income households would allow the government to allocate more funds to cover the complete cost of secondary education for students from such backgrounds, as opposed to those from higher-income families.
“This will enable the government to spend more to cover the full cost of secondary education for students from the lower-income households, compared to those from the upper-income,” Eduwatch added in its report on Financial Burden Analysis of the Free SHS Policy and Implications on Equitable Access.
“The government’s annual per-student spending under the Policy averaged GH¢1,241 representing 23 per cent of the total per unit SHS expenditure per annum, while parents contributed the remaining GH¢4,185, representing 77 per cent of the cost, suggesting that, the Policy has taken off about a quarter of the financial burden previously borne by parents before its introduction,” it added.
According to Eduwatch, between the academic years 2017 and 2023, a total of GH¢7.6 billion was allocated to the Free SHS Policy, with GH¢5.3 billion expended from 2017 to 2021.
The organization pointed out that the government’s annual per-student spending under the policy averaged GH¢1,241, representing 23% of the total per unit SHS expenditure per year. Meanwhile, parents contributed the remaining GH¢4,185, constituting 77% of the cost.
This shift, according to Eduwatch, has relieved parents of about a quarter of the financial burden they previously bore before the policy’s implementation.
Eduwatch also highlighted that, between the academic years 2019/20 and 2022/23, approximately 194,862 candidates placed in secondary schools were unable to enroll initially, primarily due to financial barriers.
The organization identified the high cost associated with boarding education as a significant factor preventing parents, especially those with low incomes, from enrolling their wards even after placement.
To achieve the goal of equitable access under the Free SHS Policy, Eduwatch stressed the need for additional support to parents from low-income households, ensuring they can afford to send their children through secondary school.
Africa Education Watch is a research and advocacy organization collaborating with Civil Society Organizations, Government, and the Private Sector to foster an equitable, accountable, and responsive education system that ensures quality and equal opportunities for all.
Working with partners in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Kenya, and Nigeria, their vision is to create a continent with globally competitive human capital driving economic and social development.