Education

Government to Pay GH₵994 Per Student for Private Schools Under Free SHS

The Ministry of Education has announced that it will provide GH₵994 per student annually to support private schools participating in this year’s Free Senior High School (SHS) programme.

The commitment was revealed during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry and the Conference of Heads of Private Second Cycle Schools (CHOPSS), formalising the inclusion of selected private SHSs in the government’s flagship Free SHS policy.

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu explained that the initiative, which is expected to benefit about 25,000 students, forms part of government efforts to phase out the double-track system in public schools.

“The government is committed to providing a stipend to support the transition of that category of students moving into private schools—that’s negotiable, we’ll still discuss as and when,” the Minister stated.

“But for a start, that’s the commitment we make to the Ghana National Council of Private Schools for this pilot inclusion of selected private schools in the provision of Free Senior High School education, as part of the government’s effort to end double track.”

President of CHOPSS, I.K. Mensah, commended the government for the initiative and provided further details about the pilot phase.

“The caveat is that, for now, during this pilot system, only day schools will be included, with government paying GH₵994 per child in private second-cycle schools,” he explained.

He added that parents who prefer their wards to be boarders will be responsible for the difference between the government’s payment and the school’s boarding fees.

“If, for instance, the total boarding fee is GH₵2,000, and government pays GH₵994, then parents will pay the remaining GH₵1,006 to make up the full cost,” he clarified.

According to him, the arrangement is meant to ensure that the partnership between government and private schools remains sustainable while expanding access to senior high education for all students.