Free SHS: Private Schools Ready to Receive First Batch of Students on Monday

Private senior high schools selected for the government’s pilot Free Senior High School (Free SHS) expansion programme have declared their readiness to welcome the first batch of students starting Monday.

Speaking in an interview on Friday, October 17, the Spokesperson for the Conference of Heads of Private Second Cycle Schools (CHOPSS), Naphtali Kyei-Baffour, said about 25,000 students have been placed in 70 accredited private schools nationwide under the pilot phase.

“Yes, indeed we are expecting quite a number of students to report to the SHSs. That is the 70 that are part of the piloting system we are doing. We are expecting to receive almost 25,000 of them,” he confirmed.

He added that some of the placed students had already started visiting their respective schools for prospectuses and orientation ahead of full enrolment.

“Some of them have started coming for their prospectus and are ready to join just as they have been posted. We are ready — in terms of facilities, preparedness, and everything, we are ready to receive them,” he said.

This development follows confirmation from the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) that 25,000 students have been placed in private SHSs as part of the new pilot programme.

The initiative, launched by the Ministry of Education, aims to reduce congestion in public schools and phase out the double-track system by leveraging available capacity in private institutions.

According to GNACOPS Executive Director, Obenfo Nana Kwasi Gyetuah, the 70 selected private schools across the 16 regions have a combined capacity of 44,000 spaces, with the current placement utilising more than half.

Under the arrangement, the government will pay GH₵994 per student annually to cover tuition for day students, as formalised in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Ministry of Education and CHOPSS. Parents who prefer boarding facilities will pay the difference between the government’s contribution and the school’s boarding fees.

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu described the partnership as a strategic step toward ensuring equitable access to quality education, adding that it will also promote stronger collaboration between public and private education sectors.

President of CHOPSS, I.K. Mensah, commended the initiative and revealed that talks are ongoing to expand the programme and possibly revise the funding structure in subsequent phases.

“This is a good start. We believe that with the right support and monitoring, this partnership will ease the burden on public schools and offer parents more options for their wards,” he said.