Of free SHS, free uniforms, unpaid exam fees

Introduced in 2017 in fulfilment of a key campaign promise of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Free SHS (FSHS) policy has given hope and opportunity to thousands of young people, who, hitherto, might not have dreamt of having classmates beyond the junior high school (JHS) level.

Since the introduction of the transformative educational policy, as well as removing restrictions on pass marks, the element of cost as a barrier to education has also been removed to a very large extent.

Good, but...

There has been a general consensus that it is a very good social intervention. However, there is a need to review the policy to make it more efficient and sustainable for both the benefactor (government) and the beneficiaries.

For seven years, there has been no review of the policy, despite calls for that; a situation that has caused government, schools, students and parents to endure the tangible and intangible costs and inconvenience the policy in its state has imposed, some of which are a lack of adequate food for students (apart from the boarders, day students also enjoy a hot meal a day), delays in supplies of other logistics and overcrowding.

In  2024, unpaid examination fees for the West African Secondary School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) also got on the list of challenges.

Free

In introducing the policy, the government scrapped the payment of any form of fees by students placed in public senior high schools.

All fees – boarding and feeding, other contingency and examinations, were absorbed, free supply of school uniforms, stationery including core textbooks and exercise books.

In addition, the beneficiary students were also exempted from paying the required examination fees for the WASSCE, just as examination fees were absorbed for the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE), the exit examinations for junior high school, the outcome of which determines the candidates’ placement in SHS.

Indeed, WAEC’s inability to release the results of the 2024 WASSCE for Ghana was blamed on the government’s indebtedness of examination fees and it took some back and forth before an agreement was reached and the results eventually released on December 31.

The situation not only caused anxious moments for candidates and parents, as there was uncertainty over their next plans concerning their academic work but also threatened the calendar of most tertiary institutions.

Withdraw free uniforms

With the change in government, assurance has been given for stakeholders’ engagement on the FSHS policy for a possible review to enhance it.

Even before that engagement takes place, one of the things that the government has to consider taking off the list of free items is the provision of uniforms.

That is a waste and one of the avenues the government could use to channel money into providing the other essential logistics, such as the examination fees.

Presently, every student who gains admission to SHS is provided with a set of uniforms, including school cloth for the boarders. Meanwhile, when reporting for school, the students are allowed to get some prescribed uniforms, including cloth for church service, to use until these uniforms are supplied.

Thus, while the parents and guardians may not pay for the government-supplied uniforms, they do spend some money to get the temporary uniforms their wards report to school in, which is used until they get their supplies.

Also, for those who buy cloth for Sunday church service, they could buy straight from the school, particularly for those who use specific designs and prints.

Benefit

This is one crucial area that needs to be looked at as a matter of urgency, as money spent on getting these temporary clothing could be used to get the school’s actual clothing.

Providing the uniforms on time for the students, especially, Form Ones, has also been a challenge, just as the other free supplies that over-stretch the budget. 

Some students go through the academic year, sometimes up to the last semester in Form Two, before being supplied with a set of uniforms.

Taking, therefore, that off the free list, will help the government save, which then could be channelled into, for instance, specifically paying for the examination fees to ease the pressure and avert future recurrence of the anxious moments candidates and guardians were put through in 2024.

After all, without the uniforms supplied, parents provide the uniforms for their wards to go to school.

There is no doubt the FSHS has come to stay, but it will be beneficial for the government, beneficiaries and by extension, all stakeholders, if the policy in its current state is assessed and reviewed to ensure that it does not just achieve its aim, but it becomes a legacy that stands the test of time, getting better as the years roll by.