President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that the quality of Senior High School education has remained consistent despite the increase in enrollment due to the implementation of the free Senior High School (free SHS) policy.
He cited statistics to support this claim, noting that in 2016, prior to the policy’s implementation, only 51.6 percent of students achieved A1 to C6 in English on the West African Secondary School Examination (WASSCE). However, in 2022, that number rose to 60.39 percent.
Similarly, in Mathematics, only 33.12 per cent of students achieved A1 to C6 in 2016, but this figure increased to 61.39 percent in 2022. In social studies, 54.5 percent of students achieved A1 to C6 in 2016, but in 2022, this figure increased to 71.51 percent.
President Akufo-Addo launched the policy in September 2017 at the West Africa Secondary School in Accra, eight months after assuming office on January 7, 2017.
Speaking at the 61st Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) in Accra on Wednesday, October 11, 2023, he indicated that the free SHS policy, since its inception, has saved some one million young children who would have dropped out of school at the Junior High School level.
“They could not afford the fees even though they had the qualifications. If this situation had persisted for a decade, one million people would have dropped out of school at the level of junior high school, an unacceptable outcome for any nation in the 20th century.
“It would have been too dangerous for Ghana’s stability as we would have been building a future of hopelessness for our youth. Such a situation was intolerable and my party and I were determined to end it.
“That is one of the principal reasons for the introduction of the free senior high school policy in September 2017, eight months after I had taken office.,” he said.
He added “Access under the policy has gone from a population of 830,000 when I took office to 1.4 million today, which means that in effect we have been able to catch and retain the annual 100,000 drop out within the educational sector.
“This has been a commendable development for the nation and for the young people. Furthermore, the results for each batch of the graduates whom I call the Akufo-Addo graduates, have surpassed those chalked in in 2016, prior to my assumption of office.
“Quality, despite the increase in enrollment figures, has not declined. On the contrary, it has improved and I want to use this opportunity to thank you warmly members of CHASS for the impressive results seen in the West African Senior High School Examinations since the commencement of the free senior high school policy in September 2017.
“The 2022 WASSCE results of the third batch of Akufo-Addo graduates show 60.39 percent of students recording A1 to C6 in English as opposed to 51.6% in 2016. 62.45 % recording A1 to C6 in Integrated Science in 2022 as opposed to 48.35 % in 2016 with the 2022 results being a slight regression from the 2021 pass rate of 65.7%. 61.39 percent recorded A1 to C6 in Mathematics as compared to 33.12% in 2016 and 71.51% recording A1 to C6 in social studies as compared to 54.5 % in 2016.”
