Education cannot be free

One popular comment or observation by a renowned Ghanaian pastor is that “…Education cannot be free ... ”.

The famous statement which was widely publicised on the eve of the 2012 general election to support the position that due to cost implications, it was not expedient to plunge the country into the implementation of the policy dubbed “Free Senior High School” (Free SHS) policy.

Strangely, Dr Mensa Otabil did not take kindly to the adoption of the message to justify the stance against the Free SHS policy.

First of all, we may want to be sure whether or not Dr Otabil did, actually, make that observation. And the answer is in the affirmative.

Then we may want to examine the correctness or otherwise of the statement.

And, an assessment of the truth or validity of Dr Otabil’s observation requires finding out whether or not pupils or students and, for that matter, parents  are paying any or various kinds of fees for education in public schools in Ghana.

Let us examine what pertains at the Basic level which is referred to as the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education(FCUBE), for example.

Public schools

At the beginning of this academic year (2024/25), I withdrew my two boys from a private  school in Accra because I could no longer afford the cost of private school education for them. Consequently, I approached a public school in the vicinity where the mother of the children had relocated.

Among the list of items required for the boy who was being admitted into the junior high school (JHS) are parent-teacher association (PTA) dues of GH¢120, a Friday wear (La coste T shirt costing GH¢60, a writing desk at the cost of GH¢120, sanitation fee of GH¢35 and a pair of school uniforms costing GH¢100.    

For the boy being admitted into class five, all the items mentioned above were required except a La Coste T shirt and a writing desk.

I was, however, mistaken to think that my expenses were over as I was immediately confronted with another requirement for the purchase of note, graph and exercise books, at a total cost of GH¢900 for the two boys.

My woes were not yet over, as we moved into the third segment of having to buy textbooks and other working tools for both boys.

After the first week, the two children came home to demand extra classes fees of GH¢2.00 and GH¢1.00, respectively everyday.

In addition, the children had to be given money for food at breaktime, even though a certain school feeding programme is supposed to be taking care of them, but which has either become non-existent or woefully inadequate.

And the two children have just brought home a demand for the payment of GH¢25 and GH¢20 respectively, as examination fees.

Certainly, in fact, clearly, there is nothing free under  what is labelled as FCUBE.

Free SHS

Let us, then, move into the domain of the senior high school (SHS). In point of fact, one of my daughters has just completed the SHS at Kpando in the Volta Region, while another has just been admitted into Keta Senior High Technical School(KSHTS), also in the Volta Region.

In truth, I did not pay for tuition, neither did I pay for lodging and feeding for the girl who has just completed her three-year  programme; yet, there were regular demands for money for food and for hospital attendance, and payment for medication and Students Representative (SRC) dues .

Again, I was not required to pay for tuition, feeding and lodging in the boarding  house for the girl who has just gained admission into KSHTS.

However, considering the cost of prospectus items and the cost of maintaining my children in school, I have no reason, whatsoever, to satisfy myself or conclude that my daughter attended school free and that the one who has just been admitted into KSHTS is about to receive education for free.

Indeed, a critical examination of the cost of admission will reveal that many children will be unable to access education as their parents cannot afford to buy the items required for admission.

How does a parent convincingly say that his or her child is benefitting from education that is supposed to be entirely free, when that parent has to spend about GH¢6,000 before his or her ward could be admitted into a public secondary school? How can anyone claim that  public secondary education is free, when the cost of maintaining one’s ward in school is very high?

How can students claim to be receiving free education when they or their parents have to pay for exercise, note and textbooks?

When I arrived at KSHTS with my daughter on Monday, November 11, 2024, I had to cough up GH¢750 , which is almost one thousand Ghana cedis as PTA Dues, as well as pay for two pairs of trousers and long sleeve shirts for use at evening studies, which payments or expenditure are outside the budget of the prospectus items. Furthermore, I was given a list of text, note and exercise books to be purchased.

Nowhere cool

In my time when tuition was being paid, I never carried mattress covered with mackintosh, plates, a set of cutlery, a five-litre liquid soap, scrubbing brush, bleach, mop and mop bucket, standing and short brooms and cutlass, among others,  to school.

The items were supplied by the school. And in my time, we paid for exercise and note books, but not for text books. How does and why should one pay for text, exercise and note books under a policy being touted as free?

So, then, is the question whether or not this type of arrangement can be described as free education. And in my view, the answer leads to one and only one irresistible conclusion- No!
Education cannot be free. Pastor Mensa Otabil is right.

The writer is a Journalist and a Lawyer.