Also known as: FSHS
News reports
Order a long-term news report on Free Senior High School
Every mention in the Ghanaian press over the period you choose, compiled as a PDF or Word document.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
Daily Guide
… According to him, government figures show that there are 859,828 vacancies for 623,072 candidates, while 85 private schools participating in the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme also have capacity. …
BECE/WASSCE Results: We Need Honest National Conversation – Afenyo-MarkinJoy Online
… Ghana’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme has significantly expanded access to secondary education. …
Free tablets , missed opportunities ? Rethinking Ghana’s one student-one tablet initiativeThe Ghanaian Times
… It also pointed to the availability of capacity in 85 private schools participating in the Free Senior High School programme. …
NPP calls for national conversation on education crisisJoy Online
… He said the measure was necessary to maintain accurate enrolment figures and support the implementation of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme. …
Education Ministry explains limits on CSSPS placement changes as Category A schools fill upJoy Online
… free,” she said. ‘Where will the next batch of students sit?’ Mrs Sarney-Kuma expressed concern about the destruction of school property, particularly at a time when schools are already under pressure from rising enrolment following the introduction of the Free Senior High School …
School rivalry cannot justify arson – Peace Council condemns clashes between Okuapeman, Mount Sinai SHSJoy Online
… He noted that despite the surge in enrollment following the introduction of the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy, the government’s sole infrastructural intervention in the school has been the construction of an emergency boys’ dormitory. …
KNUST SHS considers slashing admissions over infrastructure deficitJoy Online
… The Centre will present a paper that examines Ghana’s nine-year experience with the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme, with a particular focus on access, quality, and educational outcomes. …
CPS review of 9 years of Free SHS comes off tomorrowJoy Online
The Centre for Policy Scrutiny (CPS) is set to undertake a critical review of Ghana’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme, nine years after its implementation. …
Free SHS at 9: Access up, but what about quality? – Centre for Policy Scrutiny to review programmeJoy Online
… Afenyo-Markin compares NDC promises to Free SHS The Minority Leader contrasted the NDC’s record with the implementation of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy under former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. …
NDC yet to deliver key 2024 campaign promises – Afenyo-MarkinJoy Online
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has dismissed reports claiming that the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy has been cancelled and that parents have been directed to pay GH¢1,500 for chop boxes, trunks and other items. …
GES denies GH¢1,500 Free SHS payment directive, urges parents to ignore viral claimGhana's Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire has extended the Embassy's diaspora engagement and consular outreach programme to San Pedro, Sassandra, Grand Lahou and Tabou in western Côte d'Ivoire, aiming to strengthen ties with Ghanaians living outside Abidjan and improve their access to consular services including passport processing, visas, and emergency travel certificates.
27 October 2026 · Joy Online →
Ghana's Ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire has extended the Embassy's diaspora engagement and consular outreach programme to San Pedro, Sassandra, Grand Lahou and Tabou in western Côte d'Ivoire, aiming to strengthen ties with Ghanaians living outside Abidjan and improve their access to consular services including passport processing, visas, and emergency travel certificates.
27 October 2026 · Joy Online →
Following sexual abuse allegations at Obuasi Senior High Technical School involving headmaster Zakaria Abdulai, exposed by investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, Akosua Manu (Adviser on Gender and Social Protection to former Vice-President Bawumia) has called for investigations into all schools where the headmaster previously worked and scrutiny of Ghana Education Service officials who may have received complaints but allegedly failed to act.
24 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools has called on the Government to release funds to senior high schools promptly, settle outstanding arrears, and review tax and procurement measures it says are placing additional financial pressure on schools. The association cited delays in inadequate fund releases and withheld first-year student funds throughout the 2025/2026 academic year as primary challenges undermining school administration.
20 October 2026 · Joy Online →
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu announced plans to increase the GHS15 per-student feeding allocation under the Free SHS programme in the 2027 Budget, with President Mahama directing the inclusion of chicken and eggs in school menus. The government also committed to settling GHS161 million in outstanding arrears owed to senior high schools for food and other expenses from 2021 to 2025.
16 October 2026 · Joy Online →
An opinion piece argues that Ghana's children sit the same national examination (BECE) despite receiving vastly unequal quality of education—some in well-resourced schools, others in overcrowded classrooms with inadequate facilities—yet are measured against identical standards, raising questions about whether systemic inequalities are the real problem behind examination outcomes.
12 October 2026 · Joy Online →
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has rejected claims by NPP flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia that the Free Senior High School programme has suffered significant setbacks under the NDC government, asserting instead that challenges were inherited from the previous administration and that the government has taken steps to address implementation issues and improve feeding through GETFund uncapping.
7 October 2026 · Joy Online →
Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the NPP's presidential candidate, criticised the NDC government's handling of the Free SHS programme, citing deteriorated student meals, placement difficulties for BECE graduates, and the continued use of the double-track system.
3 October 2026 · Joy Online →
NPP flagbearer Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has accused the Mahama government of turning several campaign promises into "scams," citing failures on cocoa prices, automatic teacher and nurse posting, cancellation of teacher licensure examinations, and payments to collapsed financial institution customers. He also criticized the government's 24-hour economy initiative and questioned its abandonment of the Agenda 111 hospital programme.
3 October 2026 · The Chronicle →
Former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, NPP's 2028 presidential candidate, attacked the NDC government at an NPP national conference, describing nearly two years of its administration as a litany of failed "scam" promises, citing unfulfilled pledges on the 24-hour economy jobs scheme and the Women's Development Bank.
3 October 2026 · Joy Online →
The Ghana Education Service has directed secondary school heads who collected unauthorised fees during student admission to refund the money and warned against continued demands for illegal charges, saying such practices contradict the Free SHS policy.
29 September 2026 · Joy Online →
The Ghana Education Service has directed heads of schools to refund unauthorised fees collected from students and parents during admission, and warned school leaders and teachers against demanding or collecting illegal fees, including admission fees and PTA dues, under threat of disciplinary action.
29 September 2026 · Joy Online →
The National Council of Parent Teacher Association has challenged a Ghana Education Service directive ordering senior high schools to stop collecting PTA dues, citing a High Court injunction issued July 21, 2026, that preserved the status quo in a dispute between NCPTA and the Attorney General and GES. NCPTA affirms that PTA membership and dues payment are voluntary and supports the Free Senior High School policy.
24 September 2026 · Joy Online →
The Ghana Education Service has directed senior high and technical school heads to immediately stop collecting admission fees, PTA dues and other unauthorised levies, and to refund any such fees already collected. School heads who violate the directive face administrative sanctions including removal from office.
24 September 2026 · The Chronicle →
The spokesperson for former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has alleged that a disagreement between the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service over admission numbers of about 60,000 students is delaying fund releases to schools and forcing some to operate on credit. According to the statement, previously free items such as uniforms and housedresses are no longer being supplied to students by some schools.
21 September 2026 · Joy Online →
President Mahama announced dedicated government funding for the Free Senior High School programme to prevent delays in releasing funds to schools, improving food supplies and reducing complaints from school heads. The government is also working with the World Bank on a US$300 million facility to end the double-track system by the end of 2027.
15 September 2026 · The Chronicle →
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has acknowledged shortcomings in this year's Computerised School Selection and Placement System but disputed characterising the process as a failure, attributing the crisis to infrastructure that failed to keep pace with Free SHS expansion. According to the minister, roughly 604,000 students are in the placement system, of which 527,000 (about 87 per cent) have been placed.
14 September 2026 · The Chronicle →
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu says the previous NPP administration's Free Senior High School policy expanded access to secondary education but failed to provide adequate infrastructure to accommodate the resulting increase in student numbers, creating pressure on senior high schools and contributing to the current SHS placement crisis.
13 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has criticized excessive public spending on secondary education and called for Ghana to redirect greater resources toward foundational learning at the basic education level, arguing that strong literacy skills acquired early significantly improve students' prospects of later academic success.
13 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Ghana's Education Minister has requested that the Ghana Education Trust Fund allocate GH¢250 million this year to expand infrastructure in Category A senior high schools, citing rising student numbers under the Free SHS programme. The funds will support facilities expansion at schools including Achimota, Wesley Girls', Wesley College, PRESEC, and Prempeh College.
12 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has questioned what advice he could seek from predecessor Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum on Ghana's education challenges, saying the current administration inherited an education sector facing infrastructure deficits, food shortages under Free SHS, and the burden of the double-track system introduced under Adutwum's tenure.
11 September 2026 · Joy Online →
Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin called for an honest national conversation on Ghana's education system, citing concerns over WAEC exam results and JHS placement challenges. He noted 183,233 students completed secondary education without a credit in Core Mathematics, English Language credit pass rates fell to 62.40 percent (lowest in four years), and 54,985 BECE candidates were initially denied automatic placement into SHS.
10 September 2026 · Daily Guide →
Ghana's One Student–One Tablet initiative, launched in March 2024 to support secondary and TVET students with educational resources, has successfully expanded technology access. However, according to a teacher and school counsellor, many students use the devices for gaming, entertainment, and social activities rather than for learning, raising questions about whether sufficient preparation exists for responsible use.
9 September 2026 · Joy Online →
The New Patriotic Party has called for a national conversation on education, citing 183,233 students who completed secondary school without a credit pass in Core Mathematics, an English Language credit pass rate of 62.40 per cent (its lowest in four years), and allegations that 54,985 BECE candidates were initially denied automatic placement despite reported vacancies.
9 September 2026 · The Ghanaian Times →
The Press Secretary to the Education Minister explained that placement requests cannot be resolved for Category A or certain Category B schools that have reached full capacity, though Category C schools still have vacancies available.
8 September 2026 · Joy Online →
The National Peace Council has condemned violent clashes between students of Okuapeman and Mount Sinai Senior High Schools in Akuapem North Municipality, following the arrest of 10 students. A Peace Council director said the longstanding school rivalry could not justify arson or violence, and called for investigations into underlying causes and accountability for those responsible.
3 September 2026 · Joy Online →
KNUST Senior High School in Kumasi is considering reducing enrollment for the next academic year amid severe infrastructure deficits that threaten academic quality. The school's 4,121 students and 245 staff are straining existing facilities, with 10 classes housed in an abandoned structure, and management says the government's only infrastructural intervention since the Free Senior High School policy has been construction of an emergency boys' dormitory.
31 August 2026 · Joy Online →
Ghana's Centre for Policy Scrutiny will present a paper tomorrow examining the country's nine-year experience with the Free Senior High School programme, focusing on access, quality, and educational outcomes, and assessing whether expansion in enrolment has been matched by improvements in learning outcomes and adequate resources.
31 August 2026 · Joy Online →
The Centre for Policy Scrutiny will hold a public lecture on September 1, 2026, to review Ghana's Free Senior High School programme nine years after its implementation, examining access expansion alongside concerns about learning outcomes, infrastructure, teaching resources, and financial sustainability.
26 August 2026 · Joy Online →
The Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has accused the NDC government of failing to deliver tangible achievements on major campaign promises, citing the 24-Hour Economy policy and Nkoko Nkitinkiti initiative as unfulfilled commitments that lack visible results.
23 August 2026 · Joy Online →
The Ghana Education Service has dismissed viral social media reports claiming the Free SHS policy has been cancelled and parents directed to pay GH¢1,500 for items like chop boxes and trunks, calling the publication false and urging parents to ignore it and rely only on official GES communications.
19 August 2026 · Joy Online →