The government has announced plans to expand the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy to cover private schools beginning next academic year, a move aimed at increasing capacity and ending the double-track system.
Speaking on Tuesday, May 27, Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Clement Appak said, “As part of our campaign promise, we have been working diligently to bring on board private senior high schools in the delivery of the Free SHS programme.”
He emphasized that “meetings have been held, engagements have been done,” and expressed confidence that private schools will deliver on their participation.
The announcement was made alongside revised guidelines for the upcoming Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) selection process, which now allows candidates to select seven schools instead of six.
The selection period runs from May 27 to June 6.
Dr. Appak described the expansion as “an artery in helping us bring an end to the double-track system,” signaling a politically charged shift in education policy that could provoke debate over government spending priorities and the role of private institutions in public education.
