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Education is vital to national development, economic growth and social equity.
In line with UN SDG 4.1 and Article 25(1)(b) of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, the Progressively Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy was first introduced in 2015, and FSHS was fully launched in 2017 to promote inclusive, equitable, and quality education.
Earlier reforms, including the 2007 initiative, aimed to improve access but left costs such as boarding and textbooks unaffordable for many.
The FSHS sought to eliminate these financial barriers, especially for rural and low-income families.
As a result, enrolment rose from 800,000 in 2013 to 1.35 million by 2018, with government support covering tuition, meals and materials for 400,000 students annually.
However, this rapid growth introduced significant challenges.
The double-track system introduced in 2018 to accommodate rising enrolments resulted in overburdened infrastructure, delays in funding and increased teacher workloads.
Schools, particularly in rural areas, face acute shortages of classrooms, dormitories and laboratories.
Student-to-teacher ratios have escalated to 30:1, straining teaching quality and threatening the sustainability of access gains.
This study addresses key questions: How financially sustainable is the FSHS policy?
Are operational systems such as infrastructure and staffing adequate?
What are the social impacts on equity, gender parity and stakeholder satisfaction? How do feedback mechanisms influence sustainability?
This study uses the Policy Feedback Theory and Dunn’s Programme Assessment Framework to assess the FSHS policy’s sustainability.
A qualitative document analysis approach was employed to evaluate the FSHS policy.
Following established protocols, 35 documents policy reports, academic literature, and government publications from 2017–2025 were selected based on relevance to the FSHS's financial, operational and social outcomes.
Sources included Ghana’s Education Management Information System (EMIS), the Ghana Living Standards Survey 2017 (GLSS7) and international databases such as Scopus and AJOL.
Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis and Ball’s Critical Discourse Analysis to understand policy narratives and power structures.
Inter-coder reliability was ensured with an 85 per cent agreement rate, and ethical research practices were maintained throughout.
Since its launch, Ghana’s FSHS policy has cost GH¢8.4 billion, funded mainly by petroleum revenue (60 per cent) and the national budget (40 per cent).
The average per-student cost of GH¢2,200 is nearly twice the Sub-Saharan average. Reliance on volatile oil revenues is risky; a 2020 oil price drop cut ABFA contributions by 25 per cent.
Only 75 per cent of allocated funds are disbursed on time, delaying operations in 70 per cent of schools.
Rural schools are underfunded, with mismanagement in 30 per cent of cases. With education taking 23 per cent of the national budget and an 11.7 per cent GDP deficit, diversified funding like education-targeted VAT or PPPs is essential.
The 69 per cent enrolment increase under FSHS has strained infrastructure and staffing. Over 5,000 classrooms and 30,000 dormitory beds are needed, while 80 per cent of rural schools lack basic facilities such as laboratories and libraries.
Class sizes exceed UNESCO’s 25:1 ratio, reaching 30:1 in rural areas.
Teacher workload has intensified, with 65 per cent reporting burnout and only 10 per cent receiving in-service training since 2017.
The DTS, introduced to ease congestion, reduced contact hours by 20 per cent and contributed to a five per cent decline in WASSCE pass rates.
Only 40 per cent of proposed new schools were completed by 2022, underlining the need for infrastructure investment and teacher support.
The FSHS policy has cut household education costs by 85 per cent and improved access for rural and low-income families.
Female enrolment rose from 48 per cent to 55 per cent, aided by initiatives like free sanitary pads, marking progress toward gender parity.
However, rural schools still underperform in WASSCE by 30 per cent, and female dropout rates in northern Ghana remain high at 10 per cent, versus seven per cent for boys.
Only five per cent of schools are disability-accessible, limiting inclusivity.
While 85 per cent of parents are satisfied, 70 per cent of teachers express dissatisfaction due to increased workload, delayed payments, and limited training, affecting morale and social sustainability.
Public support for the FSHS policy remains high at 78 per cent, sustaining political will and funding. However, due to quality concerns, rural support dropped by five per cent between 2019 and 2021.
The government's 80 per cent funding focus on enrolment over quality has created negative feedback loops.
Excluding key stakeholders, like teacher unions, from policy design has led to low morale and strikes, disrupting 20 per cent of schools.
According to Policy Feedback Theory, such dynamics risk eroding policy legitimacy without inclusive consultation and quality-focused reforms.
Ghana’s FSHS policy mirrors trends in African countries such as Uganda and The Gambia, where free education initiatives emphasised access over quality (Mamba, 2020).
The overreliance on a single funding source and political incentives focused on short-term gains poses long-term risks.
The FSHS policy's successes in enrolment and equity must now be matched with investments in infrastructure, teacher development, and diversified financing. Regional lessons from Rwanda and South Africa underscore the value of balanced, inclusive reforms.
Ghana's FSHS policy is a significant stride toward educational equity, aligning with constitutional and global goals.
However, its sustainability is challenged by unstable funding, weak infrastructure and operational inefficiencies.
Urgent reforms are needed: diversify funding through VAT, prioritise infrastructure, enhance teacher welfare and training and boost stakeholder engagement.
Fully uncapping the GETFund could provide a stable financial base.
The long-term success of this transformative policy depends on sustained commitment to quality, equity and inclusivity.
The article is by Richard K. Asomah, PhD (DTE, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra-Ghana, rkasomah@ug.edu.gh); Davis M. Aweso, PhD (NCRIBE, University of Education, Winneba-Ghana, awesodavis14@gmail.com); Francis K. N. Gabriel-Wettey, PhD (DESL, University of Ghana, Accra-Ghana, fkngabriel-wettey@ug.edu.gh); Doris A. Tay, PhD (DPES, University of Ghana, Accra-Ghana, datay@ug.edu.gh); Freda O. Sefa, PhD (LCERP, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana, fosefa@ug.edu.gh) and Mr Gabriel Assamah (DICTS, University of Cape Coast, Ghana, gassamah@ucc.edu.gh).
