Education policy and reform expert Akwasi Addae Boahene has criticized the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, arguing that its implementation lacked a holistic approach. According to him, the policy failed to address the three crucial drivers of secondary education—access, relevance, and equity—while various challenges hindered efforts to resolve issues related to relevance and equity.
Speaking at the Achimota Speaks program on Wednesday, March 19, under the theme “The Free SHS Concept: What Reforms Are Required?”, Boahene asserted that the politicization of the initiative overshadowed valuable insights, resulting in a series of missteps. He noted that Ghana missed a critical opportunity to establish a consistent, robust, and sustainable education system capable of supporting the country’s social development.
“With a certain sense of equalization, this policy created uneasiness within the educational landscape and among stakeholders. What began as a promising and transformative policy with the capacity to catalyse our nation’s economic and social advancement became mired in political manoeuvring, administrative obstacles, and political debate, which diluted its benefits.”
He further emphasized, “The politicization of this initiative eclipsed invaluable insights during its execution, leading to cascading errors. As a result, we lost the opportunity to forge a more consistent, robust, cohesive, and sustainable foundation for the social maintenance of Ghanaian society.” Boahene also reiterated that the policy’s shortcomings stemmed from its failure to fully integrate the key pillars of secondary education.
“Moreover, this policy lacked a holistic approach, failing to encompass secondary education’s three crucial drivers, which are access, relevance, and equity. The myriad challenges attached to its implementation hindered a thorough resolution of relevance and equity issues,” he stated.
By: Patricia Boakye
