Free SHS infrastructure gaps may take two decades to fix – Africa Education Watch
The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) Kofi Asare, has cautioned that Ghana’s Free Senior High School (SHS) policy will not transform the country’s secondary school infrastructure in the short term, warning that it could take nearly two decades to bridge existing gaps.
Speaking in a media interview, Mr Asare explained that the policy was rolled out with the underlying assumption that “it is better for our students to accept secondary education in dilapidated structures than not to accept it at all.”
He revealed that government currently spends about GH¢2 billion annually on secondary school infrastructure, but competing demands from basic and tertiary education constrain the pace of development.
“If you look at the trend between 2018 and 2024, what was achieved in terms of investment in infrastructure and expansion in facilities and compare that with current allocations under Capex vis-à-vis the competing demands from Basic and Tertiary, it tells you that, given the current pace, it will take us about 10 to 15 years before we can upgrade Kanton to the level of Okuapeman Senior High School.
“It is going to take us 10 to 15 years before we can upgrade Mazano College of Music to the level of Apam Senior High School,” Mr Asare explained.
He also stressed that unless there is a significant increase in annual investment, lower-category schools will continue to lag behind well-resourced institutions, perpetuating inequalities within the secondary education system.
