Free senior high school devours basic education in Ghana: rescue the children

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the effect of free senior high school on the quality of basic education in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach A convergent mixed method design as indicated in Sharma et al. (2023) is used in this work to collect both quantitative and qualitative data from documents available from the stakeholders of education. Quantitative data from already-existing reports with data on basic education are analysed to identify the effects of the FSHS on basic education in Ghana and ascertain the impact of the FSHS on the educational budget as well as the indicators of basic education in the country. This is followed by a qualitative data analysis of the reports to ascertain the gravity of the results in the quantitative data. The Ministry of Education in charge of education in the country and the Ministry of Finance in charge of resource distribution to various sectors of the country’s economy are the major institutions with relevant reports and data which assist in this research. Reports from organisations and institutions with a keen interest in education are also considered. The secondary data is therefore the source for this research using a document analysis. Findings The poor performance of learners is largely attributed to the inadequate resources for effective management of basic education. Government expenditure on education is managed by reducing the spending on basic education. Compensation which is the inevitable expenditure for basic education is the only expenditure the parliamentary committee could identify. This is clear evidence that goods and services at the basic education level are sacrificed to manage the government’s spendings on education. Research limitations/implications This research is limited to Ghana, a Sub-Sahara African country which introduced a free senior high school policy. The research only looks at the effects of the policy on the quality of basic education. Practical implications Educational policymakers should ascertain the consequences of a policy on the economy before implementation. The devastating effect of educational policy on other educational policies should also be considered when bringing in a new policy. As policies leverage existing policies, new policies must not devour already existing policies which are still relevant. An educational policy at any level must consider the basic policies of education that enhance inclusivity and equity at the lower levels of education. This will help in maximizing the effective implementation of the policies. Through this, nations can promote life-long learning with inclusivity and equity in education. Originality/value This research work has never been published elsewhere.