In a significant policy shift, the government has announced that private senior high schools will be incorporated into the Free Senior High School (FSHS) programme starting from the next academic year, a move aimed at easing congestion in public schools and phasing out the double-track system.
This landmark development was revealed on Tuesday, May 27, by Deputy Minister of Education, Dr. Clement Apaak, during a press briefing on the revised guidelines for school selection ahead of the 2025 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The new arrangement comes alongside an update to the school selection process, which will now allow BECE candidates to choose up to seven schools instead of six. The selection window runs from May 27 to June 6.
According to Dr. Apaak, the inclusion of private senior high schools in the FSHS programme forms part of the government’s broader commitment to expand access to quality education while resolving infrastructure bottlenecks caused by rising enrolment.
“This move not only honours our campaign pledge, but it is also a pragmatic step to increase school placement capacity and eliminate the double-track system, which has overstretched our public school infrastructure,” he stated.
He noted that extensive consultations with stakeholders from the private education sector had already been undertaken and expressed confidence in the private schools’ readiness to complement the efforts of the government.
Education stakeholders have largely welcomed the move, seeing it as a win-win that could improve access, reduce student congestion, and make better use of available infrastructure across the country’s education ecosystem.
