The annual budgetary allocation for the implementation of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy has increased 639% since its implementation, a report by the Africa Education Watch has stated.
According to the “Financial Burden Analysis of the free SHS policy and implication on Equitable Access” report, since the inception of the Free SHS policy in 2017, a total of GHC12.88 billion has been allocated for its implementation.
This averages GHC1.84 billion annually for the seven-year period.
The budgetary allocation recorded year-on-year increased between 2017 and 2020, after which a steady decline was recorded in 2021 before increasing in 2022 and 2023.
In 2017, a total of GHC400 million was allocated, which increased to GHC1.1 billion in 2018, further to GHC1.6 billion in 2019, and GHC2.4 billion in 2020.
Slight decline
In 2021, GHC1.9 billion was allocated, which represented a 19% decline from 2020 allocation.
According to the report, the decline in the budgetary allocation in 2021 could be explained by the uncertainty in school reopening following the COVID-19-induced school closure in 2020.
In the following year (2022), an amount of GHC2.3 billion was allocated, amounting to a 17% increase from the 2021 allocation.
In 2023, an amount of GHC2.9 billion was allocated, representing 26% increase from the previous year’s allocation of GHC2.3 billion.
Recommendation
The report has, therefore, recommended that the Ministry of Education must target the Free SHS policy to focus more on the needs of children from the poorest households using data from the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme as a point of entry.
It also recommended that the Ministry for Finance must improve the disbursement of funds under the free SHS policy.
The report said the timely availability of funds (especially at the school level) to procure items that were previously ‘smuggled’ into prospectus, is critical to sustain compliance with the current moderate, harmonised prospectus.
This will also improve the availability of adequate foodstuffs and other teaching and learning Resources in schools to reduce the financial burden on some parents to supply provisions to their wards in school.
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