Free SHS Pilot: Gov’t Rolls Out GH₵994 Support for 25,000 Students in Private Schools

The Ministry of Education has pledged to provide GH₵994 annually per student to support private schools participating in the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme for the 2025/2026 academic year.

The commitment was announced during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry and the Conference of Heads of Private Second Cycle Schools, which formally integrates selected private SHSs into the government’s flagship Free SHS policy.

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu explained that the financial support, which is expected to benefit about 25,000 students, forms part of efforts to eliminate the double-track system in public senior high schools.

“The government is committed to providing a stipend to support the transition of that category of students moving into private schools—that’s negotiable; we’ll still discuss as and when,” he said.

“But for a start, that’s the commitment we make to the Ghana National Council of Private Schools for this pilot inclusion of selected private schools in the provision of free senior high school education as part of the government’s effort to end double track.”

I.K. Mensah, President of the Conference of Heads of Private Second Cycle Schools, welcomed the initiative and clarified that the GH₵994 allocation applies to day students only during this pilot phase.

“For now, during this pilot system, the government is going to place only day students in private second-cycle schools, with a payment of GH₵994 per child,” he explained.

He further noted that parents who wish to enrol their wards as boarders will be required to pay the difference between the government’s contribution and the school’s boarding fees.

“If the school charges GH₵2,000 and the government pays GH₵994, then the parent and the school will arrange to pay the remaining GH₵1,006 so the student can become a full-time boarder,” he added.

The inclusion of private schools in the Free SHS programme is part of a broader strategy to expand access to quality secondary education while easing congestion in public schools.

The pilot phase is being rolled out in 70 private schools across all 16 regions, offering a total of 44,000 vacancies. So far, 25,000 students have been placed in these institutions.

Government officials and education stakeholders say the public-private collaboration will help improve access to education and lay the groundwork for a more sustainable, inclusive secondary school system.

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