Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, has called for a comprehensive audit of the records of Free Senior High School (Free SHS) beneficiaries.
According to him, accurate data is important in shaping policy discussions and implementing reforms.
The Tamale South MP said this during his maiden visit to the Ministry on Wednesday.
“One of the foremost issues requiring scrutiny is the statistical accuracy of how many Ghanaians have benefited from the Free SHS programme,” he said.
He pointed out discrepancies in the reported figures, referencing his research, which estimates the number of beneficiaries at 3.9 million, compared to the 5.1 million cited in public and parliamentary records.
“I am not claiming that my figures are definitive, but the reported figure of 5.1 million appears misleading. My analysis of the data from 2017 to 2023 suggests that the actual number of beneficiaries does not exceed 3.9 million,” he noted.
The Minister further announced plans to convene a National Education Conference to evaluate the state of the sector and devise actionable reforms.
He noted that validating the Free SHS data would be a critical component of the conference, serving as a foundation for addressing broader educational challenges and charting the way forward.
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