The Center for Performance Tracking and Outcome Mapping (CePTOM) has called for a national dialogue to review Ghana’s Free Senior High School (FSHS) programme, emphasizing the need for sustainable education reforms to address key challenges.

The FSHS programme, which marks its eighth year, has benefited over 2.5 million students, with the first batch of beneficiaries now completing their tertiary education.

While the initiative has improved access to education, literacy rates, and gender parity, CePTOM noted that overcrowding, resource constraints, and the absence of a legislative framework pose significant challenges to its long-term success.

CePTOM has endorsed President John Dramani Mahama’s proposal to convene a national consultative conference on education, which would:

Assess the successes and shortcomings of the FSHS programme. Develop sustainable funding models, including cost-sharing mechanisms. Bridge disparities between urban and rural schools. Improve infrastructure, teacher-student ratios, and resource availability.

To ensure long-term sustainability, CePTOM has proposed the Outcome Mapping Approach, a collaborative framework that engages students, parents, teachers, policymakers, development partners, and community leaders in shaping education policy and implementation.

"The FSHS programme has opened doors for many, but it is incumbent on us all to ensure that these doors lead to opportunities, empowerment, and a brighter future for every Ghanaian child," said Andrews Kwasi Frimpong, Executive Director of CePTOM in a statement.

CePTOM is urging all stakeholders, including government, civil society, educators, parents, and political parties, to work together in safeguarding Ghana’s educational future through sustainable reforms.