The Effect of Free Senior High School Policy on the Lives of Parents and Wards in Ghana

The free senior high school policy is one of best social and economic intervention policies that openly affect both parents and students of senior high schools. Parents and guardians especially, have been left off the hook of their economic and financial burden. This study therefore looks at the effect of introducing the free senior high school policy on the economic and social lives of parents and students respectively. Data were obtained from three hundred and thirty six (336) participants. A correlational cross-sectional descriptive design was used. Questionnaires were administered onto parents of wards in three senior high schools in the North East and Upper East Regions of Ghana. The study finds the introduction of the free senior high school policy as a relief to the financial burden of parents, especially guardians from rural and peri-rural settlements. Not just that, a few other public members who are fortunate, can now keep body and soul together through employment creation. Challengingly enough, there was a lack of adequate stakeholder consultation, hence saddled with implementation shortfalls. Delay in the disbursement of funds for feeding and learning materials presented yet another problem. It is important that governments find sustainable sources of funding the educational system and also ensure the double-track system is regularised into a single-track by expanding academic facilities and employing additional skilled and unskilled labour.