President Nana Akufo-Addo has addressed the recent calls for the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy to be made more selective, suggesting that wealthier families should send their children to private institutions if they can afford to do so.

This statement comes in response to growing concerns about the financial pressure the FSHS initiative places on Ghana’s budget.

The President of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), Yaw Acheampong Boafo, had earlier proposed that the government should revise the policy, allowing affluent families to pay school fees.

This, he argued, would free up resources to better support students from less privileged backgrounds.

Speaking at the 2024/2025 Annual General Conference of the Ghana Bar Association in Kumasi, President Akufo-Addo defended the universal approach to public education, asserting that state-funded schools should remain accessible to all, especially to those who might otherwise be unable to afford secondary schooling.

“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.

“That is why the number of pupils who have access to secondary education has doubled since the introduction of the free senior high school policy.”

“Over 5.7 million people have benefitted from the policy since its inception.

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,” President Akufo-Addo stated.