IFEST advocates for merit-based Free SHS to enhance student performance

The Institute for Education Studies (IFEST) has urged the government to enhance the Free Senior High School (SHS) program by implementing a merit-based system to improve student performance.

This call follows recommendations from the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who suggested revising the Free SHS policy to require contributions from families that can afford it, allowing the government to allocate funds to those in genuine need.

In an interview with Citi News on March 18, Deputy Director of IFEST, Patrick Apea-Danquah, emphasized the critical role of traditional leaders in shaping educational reforms.

“It should be merit-based, and it will encourage students to study. But with the current system, you just need to show up, do some shading, get your marks, and you’re ready for school. This approach is not helping,” he stated.

He further stressed the need for official data to determine the actual number of students who genuinely cannot afford school fees.

“There was the assumption that people couldn’t afford, but they couldn’t provide data to support the numbers. So once we have the data, we can make an informed decision. Until then, we believe it should be based on merit,” he added.

Apea-Danquah also criticized the artificial inflation of figures to create the impression of the policy’s success, arguing that it has contributed to its shortcomings.

“The way the policy has been implemented is the main reason it has not been effective in solving the issues it was meant to address.

“What caused the financial conundrum is the artificial ballooning of enrolment numbers to create the impression that the policy was effective and successful, which led to a drop in standards from aggregate 36 to 62. The cost element is the foundation of the Free SHS policy.

“Now, the government’s inability to meet that cost aligns with the concerns raised by the Asantehene,” he concluded.