Need to reconsider funding sources for free SHS policy

Education has, and continues to be the bedrock of many developed and developing countries across the globe. Through education, the literacy levels of a nation increase and the citizenry are able to depend on themselves for survival and not always look up to the state for direct support.

Against this background, no matter the poverty levels, measures need to be put in place to ensure that a large majority, if not all the people, have access to education to the highest level as possible.

The initiative by the new government to start its Free Senior High School (SHS) programme in the 2017 academic year has been hailed by many. The policy, which is expected to cover all costs of first year entrants at the senior high level would no doubt bring relief to many parents, particularly, those who are unable to genuinely afford their wards schools fees but yearn to see their children through that senior level at all cost.

However, due to the cost implications of such an initiative to the state, no matter how laudable, some other analysts have flagged the cost of such a programme and wondered if the economy was in the right state to absorb the staggering amount needed to ensure its success.

According to them, apart from the cost of the feeding, there is also the risk of higher enrolment as was the case with the School Feeding programme at the junior levels. This means that, the government would have to find additional funds to improve existing infrastructure and most likely add more to avoid overcrowding. 

The GRAPHIC BUSINESS shares in the vision of the new government as far as this new policy initiative is concerned but wonders how the implementation would go in view of the tight fiscal space which the managers of the economy are struggling to reverse.

We share in the concerns of some experts who believe that rolling out the policy at this time would put a serious strain on the public finances at a time when fiscal consolidation was required to restore macroeconomic stability and support growth.

In the 2017 budget, the government earmarked a total of GHC400 million for the SHS programme and it is to be funded from oil revenues among other sources.

But just as many, we find the amount woefully inadequate because there was no mention made of how to cater for additional staff, increase learning and teaching materials, while increasing the number of classrooms that will be needed to support the expected rise in enrolment. 

With all these concerns, the paper believes that it is time for the government to come clear on its strategy for a sustainable funding of the policy in order not to put the free public SHS at risk of being poorly funded, as has happened to the free basic education programme, with quality of education likely to be a casualty.

Ghana is not the first country to roll out a free SHS policy. There are other countries that have done theirs successfully, and picking a lesson or two from them, would not be out of place.  

In Uganda, for instance, we are aware that the government provides a yearly grant for students who make it to SHS, while their parents cater for uniforms, stationery and meals.

The Ugandan version could be a learning curve for us so we progress gradually to roll out a totally free secondary education in Ghana.

While the GRAPHIC BUSINESS is in support of funding the initiative from oil revenues, we believe that it is time to pause and critically reconsider the issues being raised before it is rolled out completely.