Retired Supreme Court Justice Jones Dotse has urged stakeholders to remodel Ghana’s Free Senior High School policy, citing concerns about long term financial sustainability amid population growth.
Justice Dotse made the remarks at the 72nd anniversary celebration of Kpando Senior High School in the Volta Region, where he praised the initiative while questioning its economic viability.
The retired jurist acknowledged that the Free SHS program represents one of the best social intervention programs in Ghana’s Fourth Republic but warned that current population and economic growth trends make the policy unsustainable in its present form.
Justice Dotse proposed transitioning toward a community based day school model to reduce financial and infrastructural pressure on the state. Under his vision, students would attend classes during daytime hours with a hot meal provided in the afternoon, eliminating the need for residential boarding facilities.
He suggested that existing dormitories could be converted into additional classrooms, with students from local communities attending schools in their areas. This approach, he argued, would allow the program to continue while managing costs more effectively.
The Free SHS policy, introduced by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government in 2017, provides tuition free secondary education to all Ghanaian students. The program has significantly increased enrollment but has faced criticism over funding challenges, infrastructure gaps, and the double track system implemented to manage student numbers.
The Ministry of Education has not yet responded to Justice Dotse’s proposal. Education policy experts have previously debated various reform options for the program, including means testing and partial cost recovery mechanisms.
