A senior lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Martin Oteng Ababio, has voiced serious concerns about the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, arguing that its implementation has exacerbated the challenges facing the country’s educational sector.
Speaking during a campaign outreach aimed at promoting awareness of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) 2024 manifesto, Prof. Ababio expressed that while the Free SHS policy has led to a significant increase in university enrollment, the government has done little to expand infrastructure in tertiary institutions to meet the growing demand.
He emphasized that the strain on university facilities has become more apparent since the policy’s inception, compromising the quality of tertiary education despite the rise in student numbers. Prof. Ababio noted that lecture halls, residential facilities, and teaching resources have not been adequately scaled to support the influx of students.
“The free SHS has helped. But it has spelt the doom of the whole educational system. The number of students that are getting into the university has increased tremendously. Lectures have not increased. The lecture halls have not increased. The residential halls have not increased,” he said.
He further explained that the large number of students in lecture halls makes it difficult for lecturers to maintain a high standard of education.
“So we are compromising, and I am a lecturer, we are compromising quality for quantity. In a sense today, if you come to Legon, you enter a lecture hall to find 600, 800 students in one room.”
Prof. Ababio stressed how the overcrowded conditions limit the ability of lecturers to give students the necessary academic attention, adding, “That makes it very difficult to reach out to each and every one. How many essays can you mark a day? And how many essays can you give to a student?”
In response to these challenges, Prof. Ababio praised the NDC’s plan to review the Free SHS policy, as outlined in their manifesto, and expressed confidence that a thorough review would address the gaps in the current system and improve the overall quality of education in Ghana.
The lecturer’s comments come amid broader discussions about the impact of the Free SHS policy on the country’s educational infrastructure and quality. Many education stakeholders have called for reforms to ensure that the system can meet the growing demand without sacrificing the quality of learning provided to students.
Ghana’s free senior high school (Free SHS) programme, a flagship of Nana Akufo-Addo’s presidency, was launched in 2017 and more than GH¢8.4bn ($705m) has been spent on it so far.
President Akufo-Addo has pointed to the substantial impact the FSHS policy has had, with over 5.7 million students benefiting since its inception.
Several stakeholders have called for a review of the Free SHS policy owing to the delay in disbursement of funds for food supply to schools, among others. Professor Adei proposed that the government must focus on establishing quality education