Ghana’s Gender Parity Index has increased from 0.92 in 2017 to 0.99 in 2021 due to the introduction of the free Senior High School policy.
A statement from the Ministry of Education clarifying issues in the media space that the policy was under review said the progress made so far points to the fact that the free SHS policy was serving the nation well.
The government introduced the free SHS policy in September 2017 and enrolment into Senior High School has increased from 800,000 in 2017 to 1.3 million in 2022.
Apart from the free SHS policy, the improvement in the gender parity is due to the government’s commitment to ensuring Educational Gender Parity through a demonstrated Education Strategic Plan (2018-2030) with priority on gender equality.
The Educational Strategic Plan (2018-2030) will help improve equality through improving access and help girls’ rich higher levels of education whilst operationalizing new guidelines on addressing pregnancy among adolescent school girls with a primary focus on prevention, socio-emotional and learning support.
Priscilla Nimako, ISD
