Dr. Clement Apaak, the Deputy Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Education Committee, has called President Akufo-Addo's assertion that the Free Senior High School had benefitted 5.7 youth a "blatant lie."


This follows President Akufo-Addo's announcement in his State of the Nation Address that the Free Senior High School (FSHS) initiative has helped 5.7 million youth.

However, Dr. Apaak strongly disagreed with the president's assertion, describing it as a "blatant lie," in an interview with Joshua Kojo Mensah on Starr Today.

Dr. Apaak underlined that, according to real enrollment data, as of 2024, there were just 3.1 million students enrolled since the program's launch in 2017. He pointed out that this statistic did not represent the number of pupils who had finished secondary school; rather, it was a reference to enrollments.

"That is a clear lie because if you look at the enrollment statistics from 2017—when the first cohort from the policy entered secondary school—to 2024, there are 3.1 million students—and I'm not even talking about completion, I'm talking about enrollment," the Builsa South lawmaker revealed. "5.7 million benefited from the Free Senior High School."

He asserted that the president's claim that the policy, which is still in effect, has already benefited 5.7 million pupils was untrue.

He mentioned that a startling 10% of students engaged in cheating during the WASSCE, which was a record-breaking percentage.

While noting that many young people now have access to education because to the Free SHS program, Dr. Apaak emphasized that its implementation was ineffective. He argued that one of the main causes of Ghanaians' growing discontent with the current government was the program's subpar implementation.

Dr. Apaak claims that this discontent may result in the return of former President John Mahama, who is thought to guarantee the policy's viability.