The Free Senior High School (Free SHS) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) policy implemented in Ghana has had a transformative impact on secondary education, drastically improving accessibility, enrolment rates, and gender parity over a span of seven years despite receiving criticisms from the opposition party, the NDC as a hoax policy.

Ghana’s Free SHS/TVET policy has significantly expanded access to secondary education, increasing enrolment from 813,448 students in then 2016/17 academic year to 1.48 million in 2023/24 academic year, representing an 83% increase in enrollment. Over 5.7 million students have benefited, many of whom would have missed educational opportunities otherwise.

In the first six years of the free SHS policy, an average of 422,940 students were enrolled annually compared to an average of 260,490 annual enrolments for the last six years before the Policy. This implies that about an average of 160,000 candidates did not honor their admissions at first instance into second cycle schools due to the financial burdens. The Northern Regions achieved an unprecedented 95% enrolment rate in 2023 which otherwise wasn’t the case in years past and gender parity has been reached.

Regarding the government’s allocation and expenditure, between the 2017/18 and 2023/24 academic years, a total of GH¢12.88 billion was allocated to the free SHS policy, averaging GH¢ 1.84 billion annually. This is an implication that the NPP government’s commitment to ensuring and improving educational outcomes is unparalleled in Ghana’s political and economic history.

Consequently, students’ performance in WASSCE is at an all-time high indicating that the free SHS/TVET policy has not only boosted enrolment but also supported quality outcomes.

Overall, the Free SHS/TVET policy has not only increased access to education but also contributed to improving educational outcomes, creating a strong foundation for Ghana’s future human capital development.