In a firm defense of the Free Senior High School (SHS) initiative, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged affluent families to enroll their children in private schools if they can afford it, ensuring that public education remains accessible to those in need.
Speaking at the 2024/2025 Annual General Conference of the Ghana Bar Association in Kumasi, President Akufo-Addo addressed recent calls for redefining the Free SHS policy to exclude children from wealthy families.
He emphasized that public schools, funded by taxpayers, should provide free education to all students, particularly those who would otherwise struggle to pay for secondary education.
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“People who can afford to pay fees for the education of their wards should send them to fee-paying private schools,” he stated.
“Public schools that are funded by the taxpayer should be free to all who will otherwise be unable to pay for their education. That is why the number of pupils who have access to secondary education has doubled since the introduction of the free senior high school policy.”
Since its launch, more than 5.7 million individuals have benefitted from the Free SHS policy. The President expressed confidence that the long-term impact of this development would be significant and would outweigh the concerns raised by a minority of privileged families.
His remarks followed a statement from Yaw Acheampong Boafo, President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), who suggested that the government reconsider the Free SHS policy.
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Boafo proposed that wealthy families should contribute to school fees to enable more resources to be allocated to less privileged students.
