Implementation of the Free Senior High School Policy in Ghana: Five Years on; Major Benefits and Challenges

The main purpose of the study was to explore the inherent benefits and challenges regarding the implementation of the free Senior High School policy in Ghana and how it is affecting teaching and learning in Senior High Schools in the Effutu Municipality of the Central Region of Ghana. The target population for the study were leadership of school heads within the Effutu Municipality. A qualitative research approach and a case study design was employed. Purposive sampling technique was used to select five head teachers. Semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data for the study. Thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the data. It was discovered through the respondents’ comments that the policy is a very good initiative, has led to increase school population, reduced financial burden on parents and payment of intervention allowance to teachers. Findings also indicate that inadequate infrastructure, inadequate funding from government, unstable school calendar and increase in teachers’ workload were means by which implementation of the policy has affected teaching and learning. Therefore, the Ghana Education Service should consider this paper as means of reviewing and revising the free Senior High School policy five years after its implementation taking into consideration key findings and recommendations of the study. Government should consider cost sharing with parents to ease pressure on its revenue since the policy is taking a substantial part of government’s budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Education. In addition, the government should increase the intervention allowance for teachers and pay it regularly in order to motivate teachers likewise seeking financial support from international donor agencies and other local financial institutions to provide adequate infrastructure in all schools.