By Francis Kobena Tandoh
The government will pay an annual stipend of GH₵994 per student to support 25,000 students placed in selected private senior high schools, Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu said on Thursday.
The initiative forms part of the government’s effort to extend the free Senior High School (free SHS) policy to private institutions under a new pilot program aimed at expanding access and easing the financial burden on parents whose wards could not secure placement in public schools.
Speaking at a media briefing in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, Mr. Iddrisu said 25,000 students who otherwise would have been left without school placements have now been absorbed into private schools under the initiative.
“Otherwise, those 25,000 would have been without schools, and that could define a terminal end to the careers of many young people desirous of having a taste of senior high school and progressing into tertiary level,” he said.
He explained that the GH₵994 stipend represents the government’s contribution to the cost of tuition for these students, describing it as a “starting commitment” under the agreement with the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS).
Haruna Iddrisu added that the ministry will collaborate with the management of the participating schools to improve infrastructure, enhance teaching quality, and ensure strong learning outcomes.
The minister further emphasized that the inclusion of private schools in the free SHS program is also part of a broader strategy to phase out the double-track system in public senior high schools by creating more space and opportunities for students.
The free SHS policy was introduced by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government in September 2017.
During the 2024 electioneering campaign, the opposition leader for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, promised to continue the policy if elected as president. Enditem
Source: Ghana Eye Report
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