Ghanaian musician Mzbel is currently under fire from social media users for her recent criticism of the Free Senior High School (SHS) initiative. During an interview on Neat FM, the popular “Sweet 16” singer expressed her dissatisfaction with the quality of the Free SHS program.
Mzbel highlighted her concerns about students spending excessive time at home rather than in school, leading to parents having to pay for extra classes. This, in her opinion, contradicts the notion of the program being truly free.
Her comments have sparked a heated debate online, with many netizens expressing their disagreement with her views. Despite the backlash, Mzbel stands by her opinion and continues to advocate for improvements to the Free SHS initiative.
“The quality of the Free SHS initiative is not good. Children go to school for a short while and then come home for long periods. As parents, we can’t leave them idle at home, so eventually, you have to register them for extra classes. This means the Free SHS is not even free,” Mzbel said.
She also expressed disappointment in the government’s lack of action, stating, “The government says they will work on it, but we haven’t seen anything. However, I’m confident that when John Mahama comes into power, the program will be revised and made better.”
Mzbel’s comments sparked significant criticism on social media, with many labeling her “ungrateful” and defending the initiative.
Critics pointed out that initial challenges are common in any new program and highlighted the opportunities Free SHS has provided to many Ghanaians.
The Free Senior High School initiative, launched in 2017 under President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s administration, was designed to eliminate financial barriers to secondary education by covering all fees for students placed in public senior high schools.
As of 2024, over 1.4 million students have benefitted from the program, which has also been credited with improving enrollment rates and providing more opportunities for students from low-income families.
However, the program has faced challenges such as sustainability in funding and infrastructure deficits.
