The ‘pro-poor’ free senior high school (SHS) policy has become a major rights-based social-democratic initiative in Ghana. The policy attracts major criticisms and praises from academics and citizens. This paper broaches the policy’s outcomes and implementation inputs to its purposes in real-time. The study uses secondary data from the official websites of Ghana’s presidency, the Ministry of Education, Ghana Education Service-Education Management Information System (GES-EMIS), and the Ghana Living Standards (GLSS 7) Report. The study employs Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) with Ball’s policy as ‘text’ and’ discourse’ approaches and document analysis. The policy achieved a higher enrolment in location and gender; improvements in students’ academic outcomes; a pupil-to-teacher ratio: of 20:1, and reduced household burden. Other challenges are delays in funding and distribution of policy inputs. The study suggests that funding mechanisms should be widened, deepen policy education for school leaders and parents to enhance policy progress.
Free SHS policy; Ghana education policies; household burden reduction; policy outcome
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