Make boarding SHS fully fee-paying; it's unfair to taxpayers - GNACOPS to gov't

Obenfo Nana Kwasi Gyetuah, Executive Director of the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS), called for boarding education under the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme to become fully fee-paying. He made these remarks on the Adom Brands Thought Leadership Programme, themed "The Future of Free SHS: Sustain, Reform or Redesign?". Mr. Gyetuah stated, "It is unfair to have some students benefit more from the taxes we all pay simply because they are in boarding houses, where they receive free accommodation and meals, while day students do not enjoy the same level of support."

Mr. Gyetuah argued that the current arrangement unfairly benefits a section of students at the expense of taxpayers. He suggested that government should maintain free day secondary education while parents choosing boarding facilities bear the full cost of accommodation and feeding. He believes making boarding education fee-paying would significantly reduce the financial burden on the state and make the Free SHS policy more sustainable. Mr. Gyetuah also pointed to Côte d'Ivoire as an example of a country that operates its secondary education system without a widespread boarding school model. He maintained that government should prioritise investing limited resources in improving infrastructure, teaching and learning materials, and educational quality rather than subsidising boarding facilities.