No academic fees for University first year students next year; we’ll extend Free SHS to private secondary schools— John Mahama
John Dramani Mahama
At the launch of the NDC Youth manifesto at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) on Monday, August 12, 2024, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) made a significant promise to the youth of Ghana. The party pledged that in their next ruling first year University students will not pay academic fees. Also, they promised to extended FSHS to private secondary schools.
This promise builds upon the progressively free SHS policy that was started by Mahama and continued by Akufo-Addo. The extension to private secondary schools is a significant expansion of the program, aimed at increasing access to education for all Ghanaian youth.
Kofi Asare, Executive Director at EduWatch, expressed support for Mahama’s promise, citing statistics on admission to public tertiary institutions. He noted that in the 2022/23 academic year, 125,000 students were admitted into Level 100, with an average freshmen academic fee of GH¢ 2,200. Asare argued that extending Free SHS to private secondary schools is feasible, requiring approximately GH¢ 275 million a year, equivalent to 10% of the free SHS budget.
“In 2022/23, 125k students were admitted into L100 in public tertiary institutions. An average freshmen academic fee of GH¢ 2,200 will require at least GH¢275m a year, equivalent to 10% of free SHS budget.”
Mahama’s promise has been welcomed by many as a step towards increasing access to education and reducing the financial burden on families. If implemented, the extension of Free SHS to private secondary schools could have a significant impact on the educational landscape in Ghana.
SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh
