Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has challenged the widely reported figures on the number of beneficiaries of Ghana’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme, calling for a comprehensive validation of the data.

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Speaking during his maiden visit to the Ministry of Education on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, following his swearing-in by President John Dramani Mahama, the Minister expressed skepticism over claims that 5.1 million students have benefited from the programme.

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“One of the very first major issues the country must interrogate is the statistical validity of how many Ghanaians have benefited from Free Senior High School,” he remarked.

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Haruna Iddrisu revealed that his independent analysis of data from 2017 to 2023 indicates that approximately 3.9 million students have benefited from the initiative, a figure significantly lower than the 5.1 million stated in public records, including parliamentary reports.

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“I am not saying mine is right, but 5.1 million was misleading because I have looked at the numbers from 2017 to 2023, and I am convinced that the number of students who have benefited from the Free SHS policy stands at not more than 3.9 million. But I need a validation of that data to begin with,” he explained.

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He emphasized that the objective is not to discredit existing reports but to establish accurate figures that can guide future educational policies and reforms.

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The Minister announced plans to convene a National Education Conference to examine the state of Ghana’s education system and formulate evidence-based reforms. He highlighted that verifying the Free SHS data will serve as a crucial foundation for these discussions.

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