This September, government will start implementing the Free Senior High School programme.
It will be available for student who write the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) from 2017 and is placed by the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS) into a publicly funded second cycle institution.
However, students who are already on other government scholarship programmes will enjoy it for a period of three years.
Foreign students who are attending senior high schools will not be eligible to benefit from the programme.
As a special initiative for the Free SHS programme, 30 percent of vacancies in elite schools will be reserved for students from Public Junior High Schools
Also, all students will provided with four core textbooks for all first year students. Day students will also be given one hot meal a day.
After government was criticized by civil society that poor and vulnerable people will not enjoy its free SHS policy, government has decided has arranged for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to gain admission to various SHS.
To prepare them adequately for a successful SHS programme, government will make special in-school tuition available to them.
