Free SHS cannot continue; parents must pay for feeding, accommodation - NAGRAT President

The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, has suggested that parents with wards in senior high schools should be made to pay for their feeding and accommodation. 

To him, the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy ought to be reviewed, and making parents pay for feeding and accommodation is one of the things to consider under the review. 

He was speaking in a radio interview with Accra-based Okay FM on Friday [January 10, 2025].

The president of the graduate teachers association in senior high schools said it was the view and position of their association that while Free SHS has undeniable benefits, the current economic climate makes the programme unsustainable in its present form.

His comment follows a similar proposal by headmasters, who also have an association called the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), who have also urged parents and guardians to assist with feeding challenges in senior high schools. 

Mr Carbonu mentioned an ongoing debate on food shortages in senior high schools, noting that headmasters had asked parents to provide extra food for their children before sending them back to school.

He explained that students now depended on pocket money and provisions supplied by their families.

He criticised the government’s reliance on the National Food Buffer Stock Company to supply food, saying it had delayed schools' allocations. 

“The government has stopped headmasters from buying food directly. Instead, money is transferred to schools only after preliminary tasks such as population inventory are completed, and this slows everything down,” he explained.

To address these challenges, Mr Carbonu suggested sending students home temporarily while stakeholders meet to discuss solutions. He emphasised the urgency of appointing a Minister of Education to lead these deliberations.

Ghana’s financial challenges

Describing Ghana as a “debt-ridden, distressed country,” Mr Carbonu said the nation lacked the resources to sustain subsidies such as Free SHS in its current state. 

He pointed out that taxes were largely consumed by salaries, interest payments and statutory obligations, leaving little room for additional spending.

“Even after exams are written, the government struggles to pay for the marking of scripts. We are carrying something we are not financially capable of supporting,” he said.

Targeted support instead of blanket subsidies

Mr Carbonu reiterated NAGRAT’s earlier proposal that Free SHS should focus on tuition, with parents bearing the costs of feeding and accommodation. 

“If you want your child to eat well and sleep comfortably, you should pay for it,” he said, adding that this would not mean reintroducing school fees but addressing specific boarding costs.

He suggested that the government should identify financially distressed families and offer targeted bursaries to support them, rather than providing blanket subsidies. “This way, we can focus on those who truly need help and avoid overstretching the system,” he noted.

Call for open dialogue

Mr Carbonu urged the government to initiate a national economic dialogue to involve stakeholders in crafting practical solutions to the current crisis. He emphasised the importance of being transparent about the country’s financial challenges.

“Our inability to tell the truth is why we are in this situation. If Ghana’s finances improve, we can offer Free SHS to all, but for now, we must stop deceiving ourselves,” he said.