Yaw Acheampong Boafo, President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), has called for a revision of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy to ensure that students from affluent backgrounds contribute to their education costs.
Speaking at the 2024/2025 Annual General Conference of the GBA in Kumasi on September 9, Boafo urged President Akufo-Addo and his administration to reconsider the policy.
Boafo acknowledged the positive impact of the Free SHS policy on increasing educational access in Ghana but emphasized the need for a more equitable approach.
He proposed that students from wealthy families, who have benefited from expensive basic education, should be required to pay SHS fees. This adjustment would free up resources to better support students from less privileged backgrounds.
“The Free SHS program must be means-tested using data from the National Identification Authority so that affluent parents do not exploit the system,” Boafo said.
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“Students from comfortable backgrounds who attended costly basic schools should contribute to SHS fees, allowing resources to be directed towards supporting poorer students.”
Boafo highlighted the importance of prioritizing basic education improvements, such as eliminating schools under trees and providing sanitary products for girls in need, over subsidizing secondary education for those who can afford it.
He also referenced recent concerns about the school feeding program revealed by the Auditor General, calling for a review and improvements to better serve the program’s intended beneficiaries from poorer backgrounds.
“Basic education should be prioritized over secondary education. Our focus must be on investing in public schools and addressing the needs of underprivileged students before allocating significant funds to secondary education,” Boafo concluded.
