GH¢8.4bn pumped into SHS education for 5.7million students — Ken Ofori-Atta

The Akufo-Addo government has, for the past seven years, improved access to quality senior high school education for about 5.7 million Ghanaians by investing GH¢8.4 billion in the future of the next generation, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta has computed.

Presenting the 2024 budget to parliament on Wednesday, 15 November 2023, Mr Ofori-Atta said additionally, the government has increased enrolment and learning outcomes of 3.8 million pupils by

investing GH¢3.6 billion in the School Feeding Programmes.

Also, he said the government has supported foundational education of over 6 million pupils by investing GH¢248.5 million as Capitation Grants.

As stated in Article 25 1b of the 1992 Constitution, “Secondary education in its different forms including technical and vocational education, shall be made generally available and accessible to all by every appropriate means, and in particular, by the progressive introduction of free education.”

Goal 4 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) states: “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.”

According to the Ministry of Education, it has, therefore, been a priority of the government to ensure that education is made free from basic to secondary to afford more children in Ghana the opportunity to access quality education.

In September 2017, the Ministry achieved a major milestone with the implementation of the Free Senior High School programme which was introduced by the government.

That year, there was an 11% increase in enrolment, breaking records from previous years.

In the 2017/18 academic year, a new record was set with the highest enrolment ever seen in the country: over 470,000 students enrolled in senior high school.

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