The discrepancy in the reported number of beneficiaries under Ghana’s Free Senior High School (SHS) program stems from the Ministry of Finance’s cumulative budgeting approach, a financial reporting method that differs from nominal yearly enrollment figures, according to former Education Ministry spokesperson, Kwasi Kwarteng.
In a statement addressing the concerns, Kwarteng explained that the Ministry of Finance, as outlined in Ghana’s 2024 Budget Statement and the final State of the Nation Address delivered by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, employs a funding system that counts each student as a beneficiary for every year they remain in the program.
“For financial reporting purposes, the Ministry uses a cumulative budgeting approach instead of relying on nominal yearly enrollment figures. This results in counting each student separately for every year they remain in school,” he stated.
This means that a single student is recorded as a beneficiary three times over their three-year SHS education, which accounts for the perceived inflation in total numbers.
According to figures from the Free SHS Secretariat, the accurate total number of unique students who have benefited from the policy stands at 3,511,733 as of 2024. This, Kwarteng emphasized, is the consistent and verified data used in all official communications from the Ministry of Education.
The Ministry’s budget allocations have also been based on this enrollment method, ensuring that financial resources match the number of students in the system per academic year.
While addressing the issue of reported figures is important, Kwarteng urged stakeholders to shift the conversation towards enhancing access to quality education for more Ghanaian children.
“While clarifying this issue is essential, it is equally important to focus on ensuring expanded access to quality education for more Ghanaian children. That is where the conversation must move going forward,” he concluded.
The Free SHS policy, introduced in 2017, remains one of the most transformative educational policies in Ghana, eliminating financial barriers to secondary education and increasing enrollment across the country.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
