In his first official visit to the Ministry of Education on January 22, 2025, following his swearing-in by President John Dramani Mahama, Haruna Iddrisu called for a critical look at the statistical data surrounding Ghana’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) program.
The Minister emphasized the importance of accurate and validated data to assess the impact of the program, one of the flagship policies of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
“One of the very first major issues the country must interrogate is the statistical validity of how many Ghanaians have benefited from Free Senior High School,” Haruna Iddrisu remarked, his tone measured but firm as he addressed ministry officials and press members.
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The Free SHS policy, introduced in 2017, aimed to eliminate financial barriers to secondary education by covering tuition, boarding, and other student fees.
The policy was lauded as a bold step toward educational accessibility, but it has also faced criticism over funding, infrastructure challenges, and questions about its implementation.
Haruna Iddrisu’s comments, however, opened a new chapter in the discourse—one focused on numbers.
“I am not saying mine is right,” he clarified, “but 5.1 million was misleading because I have looked at the numbers from 2017 to 2023, and I am convinced that the number of students who have benefited from the Free SHS policy stands at not more than 3.9 million.
“But I need a validation of that data to begin with.”
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