Private senior high schools currently participating in the government’s pilot expansion of the Free SHS programme have described the initiative as a significant step in the right direction.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, Naphtali Kyei-Baffour, the spokesperson for the Conference of Heads of Private Second Cycle Schools (CHOPSS), noted that the implementation process has been positive thus far.
However, he pointed out that while the policy is active, the corresponding financial disbursements have not yet been deployed.
According to Mr Kyei-Baffour, the administrative paperwork required for these payments is still being processed.
He emphasised that the government made a courageous decision to integrate private institutions into the national policy, fulfilling a long-standing promise to the sector.
“The government fulfilled its part of the bargain. It fulfilled its decision to add private schools into the free SHS. Some private schools were piloted. For this, we extend our gratitude to the government. If for anything at all, we have private schools participating in the free SHS policy.”
While acknowledging that the initiative is currently in its pilot phase, the spokesperson expressed appreciation for the government’s efforts. When questioned specifically about whether funds had been released for the students enrolled under this scheme, he clarified that payments are still pending due to ongoing clerical procedures.
“So far so good; payments were yet to be made. Going forward, we are hopeful an expansion will be made so that the 70 schools currently under the policy will increase. The only challenge we had was that the timing was late, and so the schools were not added to the computerised placement systems, and so parents were unable to select our schools. But through our engagements with the government, these schools would be added to the placement systems.
willBecause we are running day schools, we are able to handle it. We are optimistic that despite the delays, the government will pay us after all the paperwork is concluded. We are not disappointed because we anticipated that because this is a new initiative, there were bound to be challenges. However, these challenges have been identified with regular updates from the government, and for that we are exceedingly grateful.”
Regarding the potential addition of boarding facilities to the programme, Mr Kyei-Baffour stated that a final decision has not yet been reached. He noted that there are several logistical plans and strategic areas that must be addressed before the policy can be extended to include boarding students.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
