Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu Speaks On Free SHS Challenges
- The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has spoken on the challenges of the Free Senior High School
- Otumfuo Osei Tutu II noted that a review may be necessary if the challenges plaguing the policy persist
- The Asantehene spoke on the Free SHS challenges during a visit by the education minister, Haruna Iddrisu
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has expressed concerns over the challenges facing the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II noted that a review may be necessary if issues such as food shortages and accommodation struggles persist.
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"The free SHS, it is good that we are doing it... but if the kids go to school and are hungry then there's no benefit."
The Asantehene was speaking during a visit by the education minister, Haruna Iddrisu.
He also reiterated the suggestion that the Free SHS policy needed to be targeted at the needy.
"For those who can pay, lets look into it well. There are those who can pay, let them pay."
“In the old times, when you passed, the bursary would look for good but needy students and award them scholarships, and those who could afford to pay did so.”
The Asantehene also raised concerns about infrastructure and logistical challenges affecting senior high schools.
“Our dormitories are overcrowded and lack science and ICT labs. Sometimes PTA makes contributions to support. The lack of school buses and the shortage of food should all be looked at. Let us implement it well so that students will stay in school and have enough to eat.”
His remarks come amid growing concerns from parents, educators, and students about the sustainability of the Free SHS program, which has been a flagship initiative of the government.
The Free SHS journey
The Akufo-Addo administration started the free SHS programme in 2017 after making it one of his flagship campaign promises.
The policy has been plagued by growing pains and concerns with the quality of education despite increased enrolment.
Parents are also still incurring significant costs to send their wards to school despite the promise of free education.
Source: Facebook
Africa Education Watch also reported that expenses by parents outweighed costs incurred by the government under Free SHS.
The education think tank found the government spends GH¢2,385 on the wards while the parents were spending GH¢4,000.
The challenges with the Free SHS policy have led to calls for more consultation and immediate reviews of the policy.
Increased funding for Free SHS
During the 2025 budget presentation, the government said it would address the funding challenges of the Free SHS policy with the uncapping of the Ghana Education Trust Fund.
Free SHS was granted funding of GH¢3.5 billion but by uncapping the Ghana Education Trust Fund, an additional GH¢4.1 billion will be made available for the financing of the free secondary education programme and other related expenditures.
During the 2025 State of the Nation address, President John Mahama reiterated assurances that the policy introduced by the Akufo-Addo administration would be maintained.
SHS students hail improvement in food quality
YEN.com.gh reported that some Senior High School students heaped praise on Mahama for the significant improvement in the quality of food served to them at dining.
In a video circulating on social media, the two male students said they were now served nutritious food in their school.
This came after the government allowed heads of public second-cycle institutions to procure food locally to address the feeding challenges.
This directive, according to the students, has resulted in an upgrade in the nutritional value and taste of their meals.
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Proofreading by Samuel Gitonga, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
Delali Adogla-Bessa (Head of Current Affairs and Politics Desk) Delali Adogla-Bessa is a Current Affairs Editor with YEN.com.gh. Delali previously worked as a freelance journalist in Ghana and has over seven years of experience in media, primarily with Citi FM, Equal Times, Ubuntu Times. Delali also volunteers with the Ghana Institute of Language Literacy and Bible Translation, where he documents efforts to preserve local languages. He graduated from the University of Ghana in 2014 with a BA in Information Studies. Email: delali.adogla-bessa@yen.com.gh.
Samuel Gitonga (Copy editor) Samuel Gitonga is a Copy Editor at YEN.com.gh. He holds a Bachelor of Broadcast Journalism Degree from the Multimedia University of Kenya. He has over 7 years’ experience in the digital journalism industry. He started out his career at the Kenya News Agency and proceeded to work for several reputable media outlets in Nairobi.
