Access without equity? Stakeholder perspectives on Ghana’s free SHS policy and the politics of educational justice

Ghana’s Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy was implemented in 2017 with the goal of abolishing financial barriers to education and creating equity. This paper examined the policy’s success through Nancy Fraser’s framework of redistribution, recognition, and representation. The authors utilized interviews and focus groups from northern Ghana to evaluate the FSHS policy’s success. This research found that overall access improved, but there are still many systemic issues limiting the intended impact of policy. There were gaps in resources, a lack of girls and students with disabilities experiencing FSHS, and a lack of overall community participation. While access is important to educational justice, the study concludes access is not enough for educational justice and offered recommendations to achieve equity. Educational equity goes beyond access; it requires the involvement of diverse stakeholders in decision-making, targeted and responsive resources, and structural change to ensure all students access the supports they need to thrive.