National Chairman of the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), Ambrose Kwadwoza, has acknowledged the benefits of the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.

However, he highlights its lack of equitable access for all Ghanaians, particularly concerning the free aspect, noting disparities in transportation costs and long commute times for some students.

“They spend hours in traffic so if you put all those things into perspective, you will see that the Free SHS policy has not been fair to all Ghanaians,” he said on JoyNews’ National Dialogue on the Free SHS Promise.

TEWU's National Chairman highlighted that numerous students, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, encounter difficulties traveling to schools distant from their residences, underscoring how these students disproportionately bear the burden of inequality, thereby spotlighting the policy's unfairness.

“So, if somebody will be kept in the boarding house and fed three times and somebody who commutes daily to school and back is fed once, then already the cost barrier that you want to eliminate has been embedded on the person who is commuting from the house and back.”

Responding to the notion that students previously commuted long distances before the Free SHS policy, Mr. Kwadwoza clarified that prior to the policy, commuting was often a result of financial limitations.

He emphasized that with the introduction of the Free SHS policy, including free boarding schools, everyone should have the opportunity to benefit from what is now free for all Ghanaians.