The Executive Director of Revenue Mobilisation Africa and a Fellow of Africa Education Watch has argued that the failure to implement the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy within the country’s financial means has led to the challenges currently confronting the policy.

Geoffrey Kabutey believes that the overall implementation, particularly the free boarding aspect, was not financially prudent.

He indicated that even the United States and the United Kingdom, which are classified as wealthy nations, do not offer free boarding under their free secondary education policies.

The tax expert was responding to a question on whether the current government should consider scrapping the free-boarding aspect of the policy.

"As a Fellow with Africa Education Watch and an advocate for education, I have always maintained that the United States and the United Kingdom, two wealthy countries, do not provide free boarding.

"These two countries, which are far more developed than we are, provide free day education. Their policies allow beneficiaries to attend day schools closer to their homes, eliminating the need for long-distance travel to attend school.

"Why should we, a country that is not as wealthy as these two, provide free boarding schools? That is not sustainable."

He added, "We ought to have evaluated our financial strength and implemented the policy within our means. The government can cover tuition and other financial obligations, while parents bear the cost of boarding and related expenses."

He also proposed that, over time, the government could gradually introduce Ghana School Buses to offer free or subsidized transportation services. However, he emphasized that the cost of student accommodation should not be borne by the government.

"The feeding and boarding facilities account for a significant portion of the cost of Free SHS.

"We can allow those who have the financial means to pay for their boarding. The government can invest in more E-Blocks to encourage students to attend local schools. However, if you insist on attending a boarding school, you should be prepared to pay for it. This will reduce the government’s financial burden."