The Centre for Policy Scrutiny (CPS) is set to convene a public lecture to undertake a critical assessment of Ghana’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme, nine years after its implementation.
The public lecture, scheduled for Tuesday, September 1, 2026, will be held under the theme: “Improved Access, Quality Questioned: A Report on 9 Years of Ghana’s Free SHS.”
The programme forms part of the Centre’s efforts to promote evidence-based public discourse on major national policies and will provide a platform for an informed assessment of the Free SHS programme beyond the often-repeated debate over access.
The Centre intends to interrogate the extent to which the programme’s expansion has affected the quality of secondary education, learning outcomes and the overall educational experience of students.
The assessment will also examine the implications of the rapid expansion in enrolment for the education system, including the adequacy of infrastructure, teaching and learning resources and other essential inputs required to sustain quality education.
Head of Corporate Affairs at the Centre Emmanuel Kweku Obeng-Adjei said the nine-year milestone presents an important opportunity for an objective assessment of the programme.
“Free SHS has fundamentally changed access to secondary education in Ghana. But nine years into its implementation, the national conversation must also ask what has happened to quality, outcomes and the sustainability of the programme. This lecture is intended to bring evidence and analysis to those questions,” he said.
According to Mr. Obeng-Adjei, the Centre’s assessment will seek to place the achievements of Free SHS alongside the challenges that have emerged during its implementation.
“Our interest is not to reduce the discussion to whether Free SHS has succeeded or failed. We want to examine the evidence, understand who has benefited, identify the gaps and contribute ideas that can strengthen secondary education in Ghana,” he added.
The Centre has identified a number of questions that will underpin the assessment, including the financial implications of the programme, the scale of enrolment, learning outcomes and the distribution of its benefits.
The assessment will, among other things, interrogate the assertion that millions have been enrolled by the policy but are not acquiring the requisite knowledge. It will also examine the broader concern of whether the gains in access have been accompanied by corresponding improvements in quality.
The programme will feature Executive Director of the Centre, Dr. Adu Owusu Sarkodie and Lecturer at the Faculty of Liberal and Social Studies Education of the University of Education, Winneba, Dr. Jacob Oppong Nkansah.
The Centre expects the lecture to attract policymakers, educationists, researchers, civil society organisations, parents, students and other stakeholders interested in the future of secondary education in Ghana.
Mr. Obeng-Adjei said the Centre hopes the exercise will stimulate a constructive national conversation on how the Free SHS programme can be strengthened.
“The objective is ultimately to ensure that increased access is matched by quality education and meaningful outcomes. Ghanaian children deserve not only the opportunity to attend senior high school, but also an education that equips them for further study, work and responsible citizenship,” he said.
The public lecture will be streamed live on the Centre for Policy Scrutiny’s Facebook and YouTube platforms, with Citi TV/FM as media partner.
Signed
Head of Corporate Affairs
