The former Spokesperson for the Ministry of Education Kwasi Kwarteng has clarified a perceived discrepancy in the total number of beneficiaries under the Free Senior High School (FSHS) program.

According to him, the accurate figure stands at 3.5 million, not the widely reported 5.7 million, adding that this discrepancy arises from a specific financial accounting technique used for budgeting purposes.

The FSHS program, which was launched in 2017, has been a key part of the government’s effort to make secondary education more accessible to all Ghanaians.

However, the discussion around its effectiveness, funding, and reach continues to be a topic of debate, especially as the program has faced challenges regarding resource allocation and infrastructure.

In a statement, Kwarteng explained that the ministry employs a cumulative budgeting approach, which was first introduced in Ghana’s 2024 Budget Statement and reiterated in the last State of the Nation Address delivered by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

This technique results in each student being counted as a separate beneficiary for each year they remain in school under the program. As a result, a student would be counted multiple times throughout their three-year SHS education, leading to inflated totals when the numbers are added together.

“For financial reporting purposes, the Ministry uses a cumulative budgeting approach instead of relying on the nominal yearly enrollment figures,” Kwarteng said.

“This approach results in counting each student as a separate beneficiary for every year they remain in school under the program. Consequently, a student would be counted three separate times over their three-year period in Senior High School,” he added.

According to the FSHS Secretariat’s annual enrollment data, the accurate number of beneficiaries under the program as of 2024 stands at 3,511,733.

This figure, Kwarteng emphasized, aligns with official statistics provided by the Ministry of Education in its communications and reflects the actual number of students who have benefited from the program since its inception.

While clarifying the numbers is important, Kwarteng urged the public to shift the conversation toward ensuring expanded access to quality education for more Ghanaian children.

“While clarifying this issue is essential, it is equally important to focus on the broader goal of expanding access to education. That is where the conversation must move going forward,” he said.

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