Quantity vs. Quality: Has Free SHS Become Ghana's Educational Achilles' Heel?
Quantity vs. Quality: Has Free SHS Become Ghana's Educational Achilles' Heel?
Picture this: A child in rural Ghana who never dreamed of secondary education now walks through the gates of a senior high school, tuition-free. It's a powerful image, isn't it? One that speaks to our deepest aspirations for equality and progress. But here's the uncomfortable question we must ask ourselves: What happens after they walk through those gates?
The Promise and the Problem
When President Nkrumah introduced free and compulsory universal primary education in 1961, he planted a seed that took decades to mature. Fast forward to 2017, and Ghana made a bold leap, extending free education to the senior high school level. The numbers are staggering: GHC 9.9 billion spent by 2024, with GHC 18,000 allocated per student annually. For 2026, GHC 4.2 billion sits in the budget, waiting to be deployed. While parents pay GHC 35,000-40,000 in bribes to gain admission into the ‘A’ listed schools.
On paper, it's revolutionary. In practice? That's where the conversation gets complicated.
The Elephant in the Classroom
As someone who has dedicated my life to education, culminating in a PhD in higher education, I've learned one fundamental truth: access without quality is a promise half-kept. Yes, the Free SHS policy has flung open doors that were previously locked for thousands of Ghanaian youth. More students are in classrooms than ever before. But are we preparing them for life beyond those classrooms, or are we simply warehousing them for three years before releasing them into an unforgiving world?
The harsh reality is this: we've prioritised quantity at the altar of quality.
Overcrowded classrooms strain under the weight of increased enrolment. Teachers, already overburdened, now face impossible student-to-teacher ratios. Infrastructure crumbles while we pour billions into a system that wasn't ready to scale. The double-track system, a backward and desperate solution, has students alternating schedules, disrupting learning continuity and family planning alike.
The Populism Trap
Let me be blunt: Free SHS, as currently implemented, is a political masterpiece and an educational experiment gone awry. Both major parties, NPP and NDC, have embraced it not because it's the best path forward, but because it's political suicide to oppose it. Who wants to be the politician who "took away free education"? It's the same playbook used for teacher and nurse trainee allowances, policies driven by ballot boxes rather than strategic national development.
But popularity doesn't equal effectiveness. And our children deserve better than political theatre.
What Could Have Been: A Different Vision
Here's where I'll likely ruffle some feathers: I believe in free education from nursery through PhD. The Scandinavian countries have proven it's possible. But, and this is crucial, Ghana is not Denmark. We're not Sweden. Our economic realities, infrastructure deficits, and resource constraints demand a different approach.
If we were truly serious about transformational education, we could have:
1. Prioritised TVET and STEM Programs
Why blanket free education when we could have laser-focused on the skills Ghana desperately needs? Technical and vocational education, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics - these are the engines of economic transformation. Imagine if those billions had built world-class technical colleges, equipped laboratories, and trained specialised instructors. We'd be cultivating plumbers, electricians, software developers, and engineers who could immediately contribute to national development.
2. Implemented Means-Tested Support
South Africa and numerous other countries have shown us a smarter path: target resources where they're needed most. Free education for the poor and vulnerable, subsidised rates for the middle class, full fees for the wealthy. This approach doesn't just save money, it promotes equity by ensuring resources flow to those who need them most, rather than subsidising the children of doctors and lawyers who could afford to pay.
3. Developed Community-Based Schools
The USA and UK leverage community resources to reduce educational costs while maintaining quality. Local businesses partner with schools. Communities invest in their own institutions. This model builds ownership, reduces state burden, and creates powerful connections between education and local economic needs.
The Real Cost of Our Choices
Every cedi spent on blanket-free SHS is a cedi not spent on:
- Teacher training and professional development
- Modern laboratories and equipment
- School libraries with current materials
- Technology integration in classrooms
- Infrastructure maintenance and expansion
- Curriculum development for 21st-century skills
- Mental health and counselling services for students
We're spreading our resources so thin that we risk creating a generation with certificates but without competence, with diplomas but without skills, with education but without employability.
The Path Forward: Courage Over Convenience
Here's what we need: political courage. The courage to admit that a popular policy isn't working as intended. The courage to reform rather than defend, the courage to prioritise our children's futures over electoral victories.
We need a national conversation, honest, evidence-based, and forward-looking, about what education should achieve in Ghana. Not just access for access's sake, but education that transforms lives, builds industries, and propels Ghana into genuine prosperity.
Quality must be our bedrock. Without it, we're building castles on sand. With it, we create foundations for generations to come.
Your Turn to Think
So I leave you with these questions:
- Would you rather your child attend a free school with 80 students per class and outdated materials, or contribute to a system that ensures smaller classes, trained teachers, and modern facilities?
- Are we preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow, or are we mass-producing unemployable graduates?
- Is it more equitable to give everyone substandard education, or to give targeted, excellent education to those who need it most, while others contribute according to their means?
These aren't easy questions. They shouldn't be. Education is too important for easy answers.
The free SHS policy isn't inherently a canker, but our stubborn refusal to reform it might be. We can do better. We must do better. Our children are watching, and history will judge not by how many we put in classrooms, but by what happened to them after they left.
What are your thoughts? Has free SHS been transformative or troublesome in your community? Share your experiences with me. This conversation is too important for silence.