Secondary education is vital for economic growth and personal well-being. Recognising this, several African countries, including Ghana, have made secondary education free. Ghana’s Free Public Senior High School (FreeSHS) policy, started in 2017, aims to remove cost barriers by covering fees, textbooks, boarding, and meals.
The International Journal of Educational Development conducted a study on the policy’s impact on girls completing secondary school, given their historical disadvantage in accessing higher education in Ghana. Typically, families with limited resources prioritise boys’ education, placing more value on girls’ labor at home.
The research found that covering education costs significantly increased the number of students, especially girls, completing secondary school. This is the first quantitative study on the policy’s educational impact, highlighting how removing financial barriers improves girls‘ chances of finishing secondary education. Educating girls has broader benefits, such as reducing poverty, as noted by former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan.
There are concerns about financial sustainability and declining education quality due to increased enrolment but public opinion still remains supportive.
By comparing districts with varying levels of policy uptake to estimate its impact, a 14.9 percentage point increase in senior high school completion rates overall was found. A 14 percentage point increase for girls. Despite these gains, full gender parity in completion rates hasn’t been achieved, and the policy hasn’t significantly improved education quality, which is hampered by inadequate infrastructure and overcrowding.
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