The Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, has addressed criticisms of the government’s flagship programme, Free Senior High School (SHS).

Addressing the nation on the state of education, Dr. Adutwum cited significant improvements in key subjects to counter claims that the policy has harmed the educational system.

“We hear people saying that ‘the Free SHS has diminished education outcomes’ and sometimes when I hear that I ask ‘What kind of planet do they live on?’ How has Free SHS destroyed the educational system?” he quizzed.

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He argued that extending educational opportunities to poor students should not be viewed negatively.

“Now that the poor gets the opportunity to go, everything is bad because the poor people are in the room. We need to bring everybody on board, let’s look at the data and judge for ourselves,” he said.

Dr. Adutwum further provided compelling statistics to illustrate the positive impact of the Free SHS policy.

He noted that in 2015, only 45.2% of students earned a credit score in English Language. By 2023, this figure had risen to 73.11%, with students achieving grades from A1 to C6.

Similar improvements were seen in other core subjects.

Dr. Adutwum emphasised that since Free SHS students began graduating in 2020, no subject's pass rate has fallen below 50%.

“In 2015, only 28.7% passed in Integrated Science, now it is 66.82%. And look, Mathematics, it was 32.4% now it is 62.23%. And if you look at the trend, from 2020, since the Free SHS students began to graduate, there is not a single year where any subject has been below 50%,” he stated.

The Education Minister subsequently praised the dedication of Ghana's headmasters and teachers, acknowledging their efforts and resilience, especially during the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I hereby congratulate the headmasters and teachers of Ghana, for their hard work, and their determination through Covid-19. They returned and worked hard and their students excelled,” he noted.