CPS to Evaluate Nine Years of Free SHS as Eduwatch Proposes 20% Cost Cut Through Teacher Education Reform

Ghana’s education sector is approaching a critical period of evaluation and structural reform as stakeholders demand higher quality standards and improved financial efficiency. The Centre for Policy Scrutiny (CPS) has announced a public lecture scheduled for September 1, 2026, to conduct a comprehensive review of the Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme’s nine-year journey. Titled “Improved Access, Quality Questioned: A Report on 9 Years of Ghana’s Free SHS,” the assessment will investigate whether the significant surge in student enrollment has been matched by corresponding improvements in learning outcomes, infrastructure, and resource allocation. The event, featuring experts such as Dr. Adu Owusu Sarkodie and Dr. Jacob Oppong Nkansah, aims to provide a data-driven perspective on the policy’s long-term sustainability.

Parallel to the evaluation of secondary education, Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) is advocating for the strategic implementation of the National University of Teacher Education (NUTE). Eduwatch projects that the establishment of NUTE could reduce teacher education costs for students by approximately 20% by removing the fees currently paid to mentoring universities. The organization argues that these payments currently place an unnecessary financial burden on students. By creating a unified framework for academic standards across Ghana’s 49 public Colleges of Education, NUTE is expected to address fragmentation in the sector and streamline governance, provided that the new institution does not introduce hidden costs or duplicate existing structures.

However, Eduwatch has cautioned that NUTE must be designed to strengthen existing Colleges of Education rather than compete with them as a traditional public university. The proposal suggests that NUTE should focus on high-level academic coordination, quality assurance, and faculty development, specifically targeting the recruitment of more PhD-qualified staff. Meanwhile, the 49 colleges should remain the primary sites for undergraduate teacher training. This approach is intended to ensure that the reform enhances teacher preparation and research capabilities without undermining the established network of training institutions.

These developments highlight a broader national shift toward balancing educational access with fiscal responsibility and quality control. Whether through the scrutiny of the Free SHS programme or the restructuring of teacher training, the central goal remains the delivery of better learning outcomes for Ghanaian students. The success of these initiatives will likely depend on the government's ability to implement sustainable financing models and ensure that institutional reforms lead to classroom-ready graduates who can meet the demands of a modern economy.