Parliament to consider, pass Free SHS Bill into law

The Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, is expected to present the Free Senior High School (SHS) Bill to Parliament for review and potential approval. 

This legislation aims to formalize the Free SHS program, ensuring its continuation under future administrations.

This announcement was made by Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, the Majority Leader and Leader of Government Business in Parliament, during the "Leaders’ Media Briefing" on Tuesday, June 11, at Parliament House in Accra.

Introduced in September 2017, the Free SHS program is a cornerstone of the government’s efforts to provide accessible senior secondary education and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to Ghanaians.

Afenyo-Markin highlighted that Chapter Five of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution includes certain aspirational directives that are not enforceable by law. 

However, once a government policy actualizes these aspirations, legislation can be enacted to make them justiciable and thus capable of being enforced by the courts.

He explained that although some constitutional provisions cannot be directly enforced, once a government decides to give them practical effect, a law is necessary to regulate them. 

The majority leader added that such a transformation would make the policy legally binding, allowing citizens to seek enforcement through the courts.

Afenyo-Markin emphasized that passing the Free SHS Bill would obligate the government to maintain the program. 

Future administrations would then be legally required to implement free SHS, and citizens could seek judicial enforcement if the government fails to comply.