Minister-designate for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has stated that the government plans to thoroughly review the Free Senior High School (SHS) program to make it more sustainable and reliable.

0

Speaking at his vetting before Parliament's Appointments Committee on Monday, January 20, 2025, he stressed the need to secure stable and sufficient funding for the program.

1

"With emphasis on the future of the Free Senior High School in particular, how to assure it of adequate, reliable, sustainable financing, we will undertake a stakeholder forum which will involve donors and partners, involve academia, parents and students, to review the Free Senior High School (SHS) program.

2

I should acknowledge that it remains one of the boldest steps in wanting to transform education.

3

4

"It was a matter of debate between free, universal education, absorbing all the costs, and progressively free, starting with infrastructure. But President Mahama intends to undertake a comprehensive review of it to make it sustainable," he noted.

5

The Free SHS program, launched by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2017, was designed to make senior high school education more accessible to students across the country.

6

Although the policy has led to a rise in enrollment, there are ongoing issues with feeding, education quality, and funding.

7

During the 2024 election campaign, President John Dramani Mahama pledged to continue supporting the program, promising that it would undergo necessary reforms to tackle these challenges.

8