No senior high school was given more students for placement than its head admitted they could accommodate under the free SHS programme, Education Minister Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh has said.

Dr Prempeh (Napo) has, therefore, refuted claims that the placements have caused congestion in schools.

Following the implementation of the Free SHS programme in September, 2017, there have been reports of decongestion in some schools with students sleeping in the open or in make-shift structures.

However, Dr Prempeh, who was briefing journalists at the Meet The Press series on Thursday, 30 November, explained that the ministry is not to blame.

“There is no school that Free SHS has placed more students than the head admitted the school can contain without congestion,” he emphasised.

According to him, the ministry asked “all heads to write to us and tell us the number of students they can admit without congestion”.

He said the records are there to prove the number of students that the ministry placed in every school.

Again, Dr Prempeh explained that the ministry requested heads of institutions to list the needs of schools, including furniture and other learning materials, which will be provided by the ministry.