President Akufo-Addo has reached out to wealthy Ghanaian parents, directing them to enrol their children in private schools, making way for the less privileged children to benefit from the free education being offered by the government.

Speaking at the 2024/2025 Annual General Conference of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) in Kumasi, the President stressed that public schools, funded by taxpayers, are intended to serve those who otherwise could not afford secondary education, making it critical that the policy remains accessible to all.

“People who can afford to pay fees for the education of their wards should send them to fee-paying private schools. Public schools that are funded by the taxpayer should be free to all who will otherwise be unable to pay for their education,” President Akufo-Addo said.

His comments come amid increasing concerns over the strain the policy places on the national budget.

The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) President, Yaw Acheampong Boafo, has urged the government to reconsider the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy owing to the huge investment made by the incumbent government amid an economic crisis facing the country.

Minister for Finance, Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, has disclosed that the government has spent GH¢9.9 billion on implementing the Free Senior High School (SHS) Policy since its inception in 2017. Presenting the 2024 Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament, he noted that education has been a top priority for the past eight years, aiming to enhance skills and thereby productivity, economic growth, and living standards.

In his address, however, President Akufo-Addo pointed to the substantial impact the FSHS policy has had, with over 5.7 million students benefiting since its inception.

He argued that this dramatic expansion of access to education will bring long-term benefits, far outweighing the financial concerns raised by a few wealthy families.

“The number of pupils who have access to secondary education has doubled since the introduction of the Free Senior High School policy,” he said. “The following impact of this dramatic development will be felt in due course and will far outweigh the small number of privileged parents who can afford to pay for the education of their wards.”

Several stakeholders have called for a review of the Free SHS policy owing to the delay in disbursement of funds for food supply to schools, among others. Professor Adei proposed that the government must focus on establishing quality education.