A former Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Dr. Kwabena Bempah Tandoh, has attributed challenges with the implementation of the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme to weak collaboration between policymakers and education professionals.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Face to Face programme on Tuesday, September 9, Dr. Tandoh argued that the Ministry of Education under Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum sidelined technical expertise, a move he says affected the quality of the flagship policy.
“The Free SHS programme needed all hands on deck – from policymakers to classroom experts. But unfortunately, the technical skills were not leveraged enough,” he explained. “Sometimes we were not even invited to boardroom meetings, and that weakened the process.”
He contrasted this approach with that of Dr. Mathew Opoku-Prempeh, under whose leadership he said there was greater collaboration and inclusivity. According to him, such teamwork was crucial in ensuring smooth policy rollouts during the early years of the Akufo-Addo administration.
Launched in 2017, Free SHS has expanded access to secondary education for hundreds of thousands of Ghanaian students. However, critics have pointed to concerns about overcrowding, quality, and sustainability. Dr. Tandoh’s comments add weight to calls for stronger coordination between the Ministry and education stakeholders as the policy evolves.
“The issue is not about who is Minister and what they know,” he said. “It’s about building a system that works, one that brings all technical people into the conversation for the benefit of Ghanaian students.”
Education analysts say the debate underscores a recurring challenge in Ghana’s education reforms – the need to balance political vision with technical execution to achieve long-term success.
