The Ministry of Education has announced that it will provide GH₵994 annually per student to support private schools participating in this year’s Free Senior High School (SHS) programme.

The pledge was made during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry and the Conference of Heads of Private Second Cycle Schools, officially integrating selected private SHSs into the Free SHS policy.

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu said the initiative, expected to benefit about 25,000 students, aims to help phase out the double-track system in public schools.

“The government is committed to providing a stipend to support the transition of that category of students moving into private schools—that’s negotiable, we’ll still discuss as and when."

“But for a start, that’s the commitment we make to the Ghana National Council of Private Schools for this pilot inclusion of selected private schools in the provision of Free Senior High School education, as part of the government’s effort to end double track," he said.

President of the Conference, I.K. Mensah, welcomed the move and explained the payment structure.

“The caveat is that, for now, during this pilot system, he’s going to place only day schools to us by the payment of 994 Cedi for a child in private second-cycle schools,” he explained.

He clarified that parents who prefer boarding can top up the difference between the government’s payment and the school’s boarding fees.

“Now, what is happening is that we know some private schools have different payments, different plans, and different payments for boarders and all that. So, if you are placed as a day student and you think your child comes from far and wants to access boarding facilities at that school, then you sit with the school and pay the difference between what the school is charging,” he said.

“For example, if it’s 2,000, it means the government has already paid or is going to pay 994 for that child who has come there. It’s up to you, the parent and the school, to pay the difference of, let’s say, 1,060 Cedi so that the child becomes a full-time boarding student.

So, what the government is giving us now is for day students, and they are to pay, or the government is going to pay, 994 Cedi for this pilot program.”

This pilot initiative marks the first step in expanding the Free SHS programme to private institutions as part of broader reforms to ease congestion in public schools.