The government has announced a major expansion of Ghana's Free Senior High School (Free SHS) programme, adding Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) streams to all 900 public senior high schools starting from the 2026/2027 academic year. The initiative will provide students with practical skills in areas such as electrical engineering, plumbing, fashion design, catering, and ICT.
Education Minister Dr. Yaw Osei-Adutwum said the expansion was driven by the need to align education with the demands of Ghana's growing economy. "We cannot continue to produce graduates who are only fit for white-collar jobs. Ghana needs skilled tradespeople, technicians, and entrepreneurs," he said at a press conference in Accra.
The government will invest GH₵1.2 billion in workshop equipment, tools, and teacher training over the next three years. Over 10,000 TVET instructors will be recruited and trained through partnerships with Germany's GIZ, South Korea's KOICA, and local technical universities.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) welcomed the announcement but called for competitive salaries for TVET instructors to attract qualified professionals from industry. Currently, many technical schools struggle to fill specialist positions.
