Executive Director of the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS), Enoch Nana Kwasi Gyetuah has said the Council did not expect the John Mahama-led government to include private senior high schools in the Free SHS policy.
Deputy Education Minister, Dr. Clemet Apaak while addressing journalists at a press conference on May 27, 2025 announced government’s plans to expand Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy to cover private schools beginning next academic year.
Although the NDC made a promise to extend the Free SHS policy to cover private senior high schools during its campaign season ahead of the 2024 elections, Enoch Gyetuah says the Council only deemed it as a “political gimmick.”
Speaking on TV3’s Hot Issues, Sunday, June 1, 2025, he commended government for fulfilling its promise while disclosing that meetings have already been held with stakeholders in this regard.
He noted that the initiative will commence with the 2025/2026 academic year in September 2025.
“We are very grateful; we must admit that the John Mahama administration has done marvelously well. The President has done very well because during the campaign season, he reached out to us that he wants to do that and we said if you want to do that, we have all the framework, the policies and proposals are ready, we will give it to you for you to look at it.
“We were even thinking that it might be a political gimmick but now it is in reality and we have met the Ministry of Education, we have met the GES Director, the free SHS Secretariat Coordinator and all of them and we have agreed on the basis that the new academic year that is 2025/2026 we are starting from September,” he stated.
Mr. Gyetuah confirmed that the government will provide a tentative tuition fee of GHS 1,500 per term for each student placed in a private Senior High School (SHS) under the pilot phase of the Free SHS programme.
He revealed that the 2025/2026 academic year will see the rollout of the initiative in selected private schools.
“Government is going to supply us with a tentative amount of GHS 1,500 for tuition, termly,” he said.
