Education Minister, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum has responded to criticisms of the government’s Free Senior High School (SHS) program, citing significant improvements in key subjects.
“We hear people saying that ‘the Free SHS has diminished education outcomes’ and sometimes when I hear that I ask ‘What kind of planet do they live on?’ How has Free SHS destroyed the educational system?” he questioned.
Dr. Adutwum presented data showing that the policy has positively impacted education outcomes.
“Now that the poor gets the opportunity to go, everything is bad because the poor people are in the room. We need to bring everybody on board, let’s look at the data and judge for ourselves,” he emphasized.
According to Dr. Adutwum, the percentage of students earning a credit score in English Language increased from 45.2% in 2015 to 73.11% in 2023.
“In 2015, only 28.7% passed in Integrated Science, now it is 66.82%. And look, Mathematics, it was 32.4% now it is 62.23%,” he noted.
The Minister also highlighted that since Free SHS students began graduating in 2020, no subject’s pass rate has fallen below 50%.
“If you look at the trend, from 2020, since the Free SHS students began to graduate, there is not a single year where any subject has been below 50%,” he stated.
Dr. Adutwum praised the dedication of Ghana’s headmasters and teachers, saying,
“I hereby congratulate the headmasters and teachers of Ghana, for their hard work, and their determination through Covid-19. They returned and worked hard and their students excelled.”
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