The perceived discrepancy in the total number of beneficiaries under the Free SHS program stems from a financial accounting technique by the Ministry of Finance, which first found expression in Ghana’s 2024 Budget Statement and subsequently repeated in the last State of the Nation Address delivered by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
For financial reporting purposes, the Ministry uses cumulative budgeting approach instead of relying on the nominal yearly enrollment figures. This approach results in counting each student as a separate beneficiary for every year they remain in school under the program. Consequently, a student would be counted three separate times over their three-year period in Senior High School.
Using annual enrollment figures available at the Free SHS Secretariat, the accurate total number of beneficiaries under the Free SHS program stands at 3,511,733 as of 2024.
This figure is consistent with official data provided by the Ministry of Education in all its official communications. The Ministry’s funding has been based on the enrollment as stipulated above.
While clarifying this issue is essential, it is equally important to shift our focus to ensuring expanded access to quality education for more Ghanaian children. That is where the conversation must move going forward.
By Kwasi Kwarteng, Private Legal Practitioner/Fmr. Spokesperson, Education Ministry
