25,000 students placed in private schools under free SHS pilot- GNACOPS

The Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) has revealed that 25,000 students have been placed in private Senior High Schools nationwide under the government’s pilot program to integrate private schools into the Free SHS scheme.

Executive Director Obenfo Nana Kwasi Gyetuah stated that 70 private schools across all 16 regions are part of the initiative, with a total of 44,000 vacancies declared to support the pilot.

“We have integrated 70 private schools across the 16 regions in Ghana, and in totality, the vacancy that has been declared is 44,000,” he said on Citi Eyewitness News on Thursday, October 16.

He added, “But as we speak now, government has been able to place 25,000 students in these schools. We are yet to complete the other schools for them to have the vacancies that they have declared,” he added.

The program aims to reduce overcrowding in public schools and phase out the double-track system. The government provides GH₵994 per student annually to support selected private day schools involved in the pilot.

This financial support was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education and the Conference of Heads of Private Second Cycle Schools.

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu explained that the funding promotes equitable access to quality education across public and private institutions. The GH₵994 covers tuition for day students, while parents opting for boarding must cover the difference between the government’s contribution and boarding fees.

I.K. Mensah, President of the Conference of Heads of Private Second Cycle Schools, welcomed the initiative and noted that while the pilot currently focuses on day students, discussions are underway to expand funding in future phases.

The full integration of private schools into the Free SHS program is expected to increase access to secondary education, ease pressure on public schools, and foster stronger public-private partnerships in Ghana’s education sector.