Former Education Minister Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has acknowledged an overestimation in the number of students who have benefited from Ghana’s Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy, correcting the figure to 3.5 million.
Dr Adutwum admitted to a mathematical error in his earlier statement, where he incorrectly claimed that over five million students had benefited from the programme.
“It was some accounting error that happened. Unfortunately, it took us some time to discover that in education, we shouldn’t be using the numbers as so articulated by the finance ministry. There was an error in the figures previously mentioned, and I take full responsibility for that. The correct number of beneficiaries stands at 3.5 million,” he said.
Despite the miscalculation, he maintained that Free SHS remains one of Ghana’s most transformative educational policies and called for continued support to sustain its progress.
“Free SHS has changed the trajectory of education in Ghana, and we must do everything possible to ensure its continuous improvement,” he added.
Dr. Adutwum highlighted the policy’s role in increasing access to secondary education and reducing financial burdens on families.
“The Free SHS policy has transformed education in Ghana, allowing millions of students to pursue their dreams without the worry of school fees,” he told the AM Show on Joy News on Friday, 14 February 2025.
