Free SHS Impact: 2022 WASSCE Math Success – 61.39% Attained A1 to C6, Compared to 33.12% in 2016 – Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo asserted that the quality of Senior High School (SHS) education has not waned, despite the surge in enrollment driven by the implementation of the free Senior High School (free SHS) policy.

He emphasized that this educational initiative has yielded notable improvements, as indicated by the following key statistics:

Before the inception of the free SHS policy in 2017, only 51.6 percent of students achieved grades A1 to C6 in English during the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 2016. However, by 2022, this figure had risen significantly to 60.39 percent.

READ MORE: Quality remains unaffected despite increase in enrollment of free SHS implementation – Akufo-Addo

Likewise, in the realm of mathematics, the results exhibited a substantial shift. In 2016, a mere 33.12 percent of students secured grades A1 to C6, while in 2022, an impressive 61.39 percent achieved this level of proficiency.

The domain of social studies also displayed a remarkable transformation. In 2016, 54.5 percent of students achieved grades A1 to C6, but by 2022, this had risen to 71.51 percent.

President Akufo-Addo inaugurated the free SHS policy in September 2017, a mere eight months following his assumption of office on January 7, 2017.

READ ALSO: We won’t cancel Free SHS despite economic challenges – Abena Osei-Asare

In a recent address delivered on October 11, 2023, at the 61st Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) in Accra, he emphasized that this policy has not only made a profound impact but has also prevented approximately one million young children from prematurely dropping out of school at the Junior High School level.

He pointed out that these students, despite having the qualifications, were unable to afford the fees.

Had this situation persisted over a decade, it would have resulted in one million people abandoning their education at the junior high school level, which would have been an unacceptable outcome for a nation in the 20th century. President Akufo-Addo and his party were determined to address this issue, leading to the introduction of the free senior high school policy in September 2017.

READ MORE: 2023 BECE Assured: Every Candidate Eligible for Free SHS Placement – Deputy Education Minister

He lauded the policy’s remarkable success by highlighting that access to education had increased from 830,000 students when he assumed office to 1.4 million students in the present day. This achievement has effectively managed to retain the annual 100,000 dropouts within the educational sector, a commendable feat for the nation’s youth.

Furthermore, the results of the batches of graduates, affectionately referred to as the “Akufo-Addo graduates,” have surpassed those of 2016, the year before he took office. This attests to the fact that, contrary to expectations, the quality of education has not deteriorated with the surge in enrollment; on the contrary, it has improved.

READ MORE: Dr. Adutwum defends Free SHS Policy and highlights impressive WASSCE results

President Akufo-Addo has also expressed his gratitude to the members of CHASS for their role in achieving these impressive results in the West African Senior High School Examinations since the inception of the free senior high school policy in September 2017.

He cited the 2022 WASSCE results as a testament to the policy’s effectiveness, with 60.39 percent of students achieving A1 to C6 grades in English, 62.45 percent in Integrated Science, 61.39 percent in Mathematics, and 71.51 percent in Social Studies, all surpassing the corresponding figures from 2016.

SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh