# Ghana Free Senior High School programme review

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/ghana-free-senior-high-school-programme-review
> Updated: 2026-08-31T14:18:43.000Z. Sources: 5. Developments: 2.

The Centre for Policy Scrutiny (CPS) initiated a structured review of Ghana’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme as it entered its ninth year of implementation. The assessment aimed to evaluate whether the significant increase in secondary school enrolment since 2017 has been supported by sufficient infrastructure, teaching resources, and learning materials, while also examining the programme’s long-term financial sustainability.

Operational challenges have intensified at KNUST Senior High School in Kumasi. Headmaster Anthony Boasiako Duodu-Antwi reported that the school’s population of 4,121 students and 245 staff has overstretched facilities, forcing classes into abandoned or dilapidated structures. He noted that despite the surge in enrollment, the school has received minimal support, receiving only one emergency dormitory project since the policy began.

Financial and structural debates continue to emerge. Policy analyst Dr. Jacob Oppong Nkansah warned that inadequate stakeholder consultation and the perceived politicization of the programme could threaten its long-term viability. 

In response to critiques regarding funding inequality, Kwasi Kwarteng of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Communications Team defended the policy against calls for its abolition. Responding to arguments from Africa Education Watch Executive Director Kofi Asare—who suggested the policy disproportionately channels resources toward secondary education at the expense of basic education—Kwarteng argued that scrapping the programme would not guarantee redirected funds would reach the basic education sector, noting a lack of built-in mechanisms to ensure such a flow.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-31: Ghana's Free SHS policy faces infrastructure and sustainability challenges

Ghana’s Free Senior High School policy faces sustainability concerns due to severe infrastructure deficits at schools like KNUST SHS and warnings regarding inadequate stakeholder consultation.

4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ghanas-free-shs-policy-faces-infrastructure-and-sustainability-challenges

### 2026-08-26: Ghana's Free SHS programme to undergo quality and sustainability review

The Centre for Policy Scrutiny will review Ghana's Free Senior High School programme to assess if increased student access has compromised educational quality, infrastructure, and sustainability.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ghanas-free-shs-programme-to-undergo-quality-and-sustainability-review

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Cite as: Ghana Free Senior High School programme review. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/ghana-free-senior-high-school-programme-review