Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta has said that the free Senior High School (SHS) policy introduced by the Government of Ghana has saved parents up to an amount of GHC 3.2 billion.
The Minister while presenting the mid-year budget review in Parliament on Thursday said, this has happened because government is now bearing the full cost of SHS education in the country.
“Government has spent a total of GH¢3.2 billion on Free SHS since 2017 with over 1 million beneficiary School children and saved parents some money to use for other purpose…,” he said.
The free SHS programme which is the flagship policy of the Akufo-Addo government was introduced in September 2017.
Its introduction has led to an increase in the number of students who enroll in SHSs in the country. The first batch of free SHS beneficiaries are set to graduate this year.
The expenditure notwithstanding, the Finance Minister said the country’s economy is on a sound footing.
“The economy is booming with a growth rate of 6.5%, inflation tamed at 7.9%, a trade surplus of US$2.2 billion and fiscal deficit under control at 4.7% and a primary surplus of 0.8%…,” he said.
