Govt claim 5.7 million students benefited free SHS not true – IFEST
The Institute for Education Studies (IFEST) says the Akufo-Addo’s government claim that some 5.7 million students gained access to secondary education amid its introduction of the Free Senior High School program is not accurate.
The Executive Director of the Education Studies, Dr Peter Anti in a social media post sighted by Pretertiary.com said the 5.7 million beneficiaries of the Free SHS since its inception in 2017 is inaccurate on multiple levels.
“Even if we assume that all students who sat for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) for School were admitted to secondary, technical, or vocational institutions, the total would still be 4.3 million.
Also, data from the EMIS of the Ministry of Education aggregates Senior High School and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) enrollment up to a little above 4.1 million for the same period. So the 5.7 million being peddled around is not accurate,” Peter noted.
He said “From 2020, when the first cohort of Free SHS candidates sat for the WASSCE, Ghana has consistently recorded over 50% of candidates scoring A1 to C6 in all four core subjects. This year’s results, the 2024 results, have maintained the laudable trend from 2020.”
Comparing performance metrics, he stated, “Indeed, only 51.6% of candidates achieved A1 to C6 in English in 2016, compared to a much higher 69.52% in 2024. For integrated science, the pass rate improved from 48.35% in 2016 to 58.77% in 2024. Mathematics demonstrated the most dramatic progress, rising from a mere 33.12% pass rate in 2016 to an impressive 66.86% in 2024. Social studies followed a similar trend, improving from 54.55% in 2016 to 71.53% in 2024.”
commenting on the 2023 WASSCE results, the President said “The data is there, and it is the best in the history of the examination, with record-breaking performances across all core subjects. No amount of shouting will displace the data. It will not happen.”
