Quality of education hasn’t diminished under free SHS programme – Adutwum

Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, the Education Minister and Member of Parliament for Bosomtwe, has defended the quality of education under the government’s Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.

He asserts that the quality has significantly improved, pointing to increased student enrolment and enhanced infrastructure and equipment in schools nationwide as evidence of this improvement.

Some individuals and organizations have criticized the policy, arguing that the initiative prioritized quantity instead of quality.

John Dramani Mahama, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, the former Trade and Industry Minister, have expressed their intention to review the Free SHS policy if they win the 2024 presidential election.

A study by Africa Education Watch, an educational civil society organization, revealed that parents’ expenses on prospectuses and other items exceed the costs covered by the government under the Free SHS programme.

In an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on Citi FM, Dr. Adutwum stressed that the students’ results demonstrate the effectiveness and quality of the policy.

He stated that “quality has not diminished; academic performance has improved.”