GNAT kicks against inclusion of private schools in free SHS Programme

The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has opposed the decision by the government to include private schools in the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy.

According to the government, the move is to expand access to secondary education and reduce overcrowding in public SHSs.

This development was announced by Deputy Minister for Education Dr. Clement Apaak on May 27, 2025, while unveiling revised school selection guidelines for candidates preparing to sit the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

He added that the inclusion of private schools in the Free SHS programme forms part of a broader plan to expand capacity and eliminate the double-track system.

“As part of our campaign promise, we’ve worked diligently to bring private senior high schools on board. Meetings and engagements have been held, and we are confident that with the commitment from both sides, private schools will deliver. This step will also help us eliminate the double-track system, ” he noted.

However, the General Secretary of GNAT, Thomas Musah, has strongly opposed the decision, cautioning that it may worsen the already strained resources in the public sector.

“We don’t want the situation where tomorrow the government will come and tell us that there are no resources to teach in the public schools, and so we are adding on to those that parents have to pay. Already, we have been calling for parents who can pay fees to pay or should be made to make some contributions.

“We have not yet been able to get all these things done. So, to be adding on to the already existing burden will be serious, and I have some difficulty with it,” he added.