Gov’t Adds 60 Private Schools To Free SHS Policy

In a significant development aimed at expanding access to secondary education, the Government of Ghana has officially added 60 private senior high schools to the Free Senior High School (FSHS) programme for the 2025/2026 academic year.

The move is expected to ease pressure on public schools and increase enrollment, strategically across all 16 regions, especially in areas where public SHSs are either overcrowded or non-existent.

The approval, confirmed in a memo dated 11 July, 2025, and signed by Prince C. Agyemang-Duah, Director of the Schools and Instructions Division at GES, follows a directive from the Minister of Education and builds on a prior communication dated 13 June.

According to the memo, the move forms part of efforts to expand access and inclusion under the FSHS policy, which has been a major flagship education intervention since its inception in 2017.

Regional Directors have been instructed to circulate the approved list of schools to Heads of Basic Schools and BECE candidates through their respective Metro, Municipal, and District Education offices. This is in preparation for the opening of the online school selection portal managed by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).

The inclusion of private schools is seen as a strategic intervention to ease pressure on public SHSs, many of which have faced infrastructural and accommodation challenges in recent years.

The development has been welcomed by some education stakeholders as a potential game-changer in bridging access gaps, especially in underserved communities.

Meanwhile, the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) has described the inclusion as a historic and progressive move.

In a press release issued on July 20 by GNACOPS and signed by its National Executive Director, Oberto Nana Kwasi Gyetuah, the council expressed deep appreciation to the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) for recognising the role of private schools in the national education ecosystem.

“This progressive move marks a significant milestone in Ghana’s educational transformation journey. It underscores the Government’s commitment to inclusive, collaborative education delivery and reaffirms the important role of private schools in advancing national development goals” part of the statement reads.

GNACOPS emphasised that these schools are expected to uphold high standards of transparency, accountability, and academic excellence.

To the wider private education sector, GNACOPS acknowledged concerns from schools not yet included in the initiative and assured them that efforts are underway to expand the programme in subsequent phases.

“We encourage continued patience, preparation, and compliance with regulatory standards,” the release stated.

GNACOPS also urged the newly approved schools to serve as “ambassadors of excellence” to demonstrate that the private sector is a capable and credible partner in delivering free, equitable, and quality education to all Ghanaian children.