The implementation of the free Senior High School (SHS) education policy will begin today, September 11, 2017 as the 2017/2018 academic year starts.

The programme will start with first year students in all public SHSs and Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) institutions across the country.

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A deputy Finance Minister, Abena Osei-Asare has said the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) has received 50% of funds of the free Senior High Schools (SHS) policy.

She said the Ministry of Finance had finalised preparations to credit the accounts of 647 public SHS adding that the Ministry of Education is yet to provide them with the numbers of students placed in every school.

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She said "We have a list of all the 647 schools and all their account numbers…Latest by close of day [Friday] all the schools will be credited with the amounts that they need to roll out the policy."

Mrs Abena Osei-Asare, said GH¢280 million out of the GH¢486 million required for the programme had been released.

The free SHS policy was a major campaign promise by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the 2012 and 2016 general elections.