Free secondary education in Ghana: Macroeconomic impacts and adjustments going forward
This policy brief considers how Ghana's Free Senior High School programme will affect per capita GDP, wages, and tax contributions and how its sustainability can be improved.
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Education_Asuming et al. Policy Brief September 2024.pdf
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- Ghana's Free Senior High School (Free SHS) policy is a laudable programme that aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 4.1). However, its long-term sustainability is at risk due to budget constraints.
- In this policy brief, we predict how this programme will affect per capita GDP, wages, and tax contributions and how its sustainability can be improved.
- Findings show that without substantial further investments to improve quality/learning outcomes, the policy will have negligible effects on GDP per capita, which is predicted to rise by just 0.1% in the long run. Meanwhile, if the quality of education were to be improved, the policy would deliver a 10% increase in GDP per capita.
- Survey results show that while there is extremely strong public support for the Free SHS policy, most people are open to adjusting it to enhance its sustainability and impact.