Ghana Education Service Releases List of 60 Private Schools for Free SHS: “Historic Inclusion”
- The government has released the list of 60 private Senior High Schools that will be covered by Free SHS subsidies
- The Ghana National Council of Private Schools hailed the development as a historic milestone
- The president of the Ghana National Council of Private Schools, Obenfo Nana Kwasi Gyetuah, said work was ongoing to include more schools
The government has chosen 60 private Senior High Schools to participate in the Free SHS policy.
The Ghana National Council of Private Schools has selected 60 private schools to offer free Senior High School (SHS) education, highlighting its efforts to foster collaboration between the public and private education sectors.
Source: Facebook
In a statement to YEN.com.gh, the president of the council, Obenfo Nana Kwasi Gyetuah, said this was a significant milestone after years of advocacy.
"It underscores the Government’s commitment to inclusive, collaborative education delivery and reaffirms the important role of private schools in advancing national development goals."
Gyetuah also assured private schools not included that work was ongoing to expand the pool.
He said the ultimate goal is to include all qualified and quality-assured private senior high schools in future cohorts.
"We urge the approved schools to serve as ambassadors of excellence, demonstrating through conduct, teaching, and management that the private sector is a trustworthy and capable partner in delivering free, equitable, and quality education for all Ghanaian children."
Source: UGC
Source: UGC
Source: UGC
The Free SHS policy ushered in a period of hardship for several private schools that lost prospective admissions because of the option of free education.
The council had complained that private schools had been sidelined under the Akufo-Addo administration.
Gyetuah has long held that leveraging private schools and their infrastructure could benefit not only the educational institutions but the Free SHS policy as a whole.
He is ready to propose such a collaboration between the state and private schools during the national stakeholders' engagement on education.
The Free SHS journey
The Akufo-Addo administration started the programme in 2017 after making it one of his campaign promises.
The policy has been plagued by growing pains and concerns with the quality of education despite increased enrolment.
Parents faced significant costs to send their wards to school despite the promise of free education
Africa Education Watch disclosed that expenses by parents outweighed costs incurred by the government under Free SHS.
The education think tank found that the government spends GH¢2,385 on the wards while the parents were spending GH¢4,000.
The challenges with the Free SHS policy led to calls for more consultation and immediate reviews of the policy.
The Mahama administration held a stakeholder forum to discuss pressing issues in the sector.
Before leaving power, the Akufo-Addo administration planned to present a Free Senior High School Bill to Parliament to bind governments to the policy.
GES releases academic calendar for 2025/2026
YEN.com.gh reported that the Ghana Education Service had released the academic calendar for the 2025/2026 academic year.
The calendar outlined key dates for Kindergarten, Primary, and Junior High Schools across the country.
It noted that the first term would begin on September 2, 2025, and end on December 18, 2025. The vacation will run until January 7, 2026.
Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
